Karma Chameleon
by Pojko
Summary: Lies.  Secrets.  Manipulation.  Everything is not what it seems when Kim and Ron are faced with their most personal challenge to date.  Something is rotten in the state of Middleton.
1. Intentions

Authors Note: So I was inspired to write a story where I could take a really minor character and turn it into a main one. Luckily Camille is so one-dimensional in the show that it leaves me with a lot of room to expand her character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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_"The greatest harm can result from the best intentions."_

_~Wizard's Second Rule_

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Spring break had been wonderful. It was a week of relaxation, a week of no worries. There was no waking up early, no homework, and none of the baggage that came with going to Middleton High School. But it was over now. The harsh realities of being back in class had hit him hard. Quite literally too.

"Heads up Stoppable!" a voice shouted.

Too little too late.

Ron rubbed the back of his head after an errant basketball had smacked into it. But he knew it was no accident. He turned to see a group of the more athletic boys sniggering at what had just happened. P.E. class used to be enjoyable for the teen. Those were simpler times, before the food chain. But now that he was in high school he no longer enjoyed the class. Most days it was a struggle to survive without being humiliated.

In this period juniors and seniors of both genders were inside the gymnasium playing basketball. The girls had one half of the court, and the boys the other. Unfortunately for Ron that meant he was apart from Kim. While she was busy thriving in the competition on the other side of the gym, Ron was just trying not to let his team down.

"Stoppable! Don't just stand there!" one of the boys yelled.

"What, it's not like he could actually make a difference," another said.

Ron moved close to the basket to guard his opponent. But things changed quickly when his team stole the ball. Out of nowhere it was passed his way. He caught it with both hands and attempted a layup. The shot didn't fall in, and the rebound was taken by his opponent.

"Smooth," one of his teammates said. It was none other than the star quarterback Brick Flagg.

Ron looked at the older boy who had a look of frustration on his face.

"Who passed to him?" Brick asked to no one in particular.

"Me," another said. "He was right next to the basket…" he said in his defense.

"Yeah, but it's Stoppable. You never give the ball to him. Ever."

Ron felt his heart sink at these words. He didn't know why though. This is how it had been for a while now. He didn't understand why he still thought there was a chance he could be accepted and treated well by the popular kids. Kim and a handful of others were the only ones who truly accepted him.

The P.E. teacher blew a whistle and announced that it was time to go back to the locker rooms and change before they went to their next classes. On the way to their locker room doors Ron received a tiny shove from one of his classmates. It didn't go unnoticed by Kim, who was passing by to go to the girl's locker room.

"Hey!" she called out to the boy.

Ron along with the group he was in the middle of stopped and looked back at Kim.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked him. "Apologize to Ron now," she ordered.

Most of the group looked at the boy in anticipation of his next move. Ron on the other hand just looked to the floor.

"Whatever," the boy said. "Sorry Stoppable," he laughed.

The insincerity didn't go unnoticed by anyone, but there was nothing Kim or Ron could do about it. The boys once more began walking toward the door. Kim stood there for a moment before she too went off to go change.

Ron reached his gym locker and worked the lock combination to get it open so he could change. As he was doing so he felt a crumpled piece of paper impact on the side of his head. It didn't hurt, but the surprise made him move his hand to his head. He looked around to see the source of the aggression. He saw it was Brick and the other boys who had been mocking him.

"So how does it feel to have to be defended by a girl?" the jock asked.

"Loser," the boy who had 'apologized' added.

They shared a laugh as Ron ignored them and began gathering his clothes so he could change.

"Nothing to say?" Brick asked. "Can't you ever stand up for yourself? Do you really have to rely on Possible to defend you?"

"Just go away Brick." Ron finally told him.

"Why?"

"Dude, just stop."

"Make me."

"Get out of my face you jerk!" Ron finally said, raising his voice a bit.

"What did you just say?"

Ron didn't answer. Brick walked up to him and slugged him in the nose. Ron fell back against the lockers clutching his face. Most of the boys in the room laughed before they finished changing and left.

Ron stood and looked at his crimson colored hand. While his nose wasn't badly injured, it was still bleeding.

"Hey," he heard a voice say to him from his side.

Ron turned to see another senior, Josh Mankey. The art enthusiast bent down and picked up the clothes that Ron had dropped when he had been struck. He stacked them up on the bench in front of the lockers.

"Those guys are jerks," Josh said.

"Yeah," Ron agreed.

"You need any help?"

"Nah. I just gotta clean myself up and change. But thanks for picking up my stuff."

"No problem man," Josh smiled weakly.

Ron sighed.

"You're so lucky to be getting out of this place in a few months."

Josh shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "There are a few parts I'll miss, but not enough to want to stay another year. I'm really excited about going to college."

"I don't know how I'll manage another year of this."

"Keep your head up Ron. Just remember next year you'll be a senior. No one to push you around, no one to answer to. Well except Barkin," he added with a smirk.

This broke Ron's gloom as he too managed a smile. Josh's words were true. All he had to do was survive until the end of junior year. Then when he came back he would be a senior. This would give him automatic respect from the younger students.

"Yeah, you're right," Ron agreed. "Thanks for that Josh. You should get going. Don't want to be late for class."

Josh nodded before he turned to leave.

"See ya Ron."

"Later."

Josh left the locker room leaving Ron alone with his thoughts. He went to the bathroom and stood over the sink. He let the water run for a few seconds to get warm before he began to wash his hands of the blood. When this was finished he cupped his hands and washed off his face. Luckily the bleeding had stopped by now. Taking a few rough brown paper towels from the dispenser, he dried off his hands and face. He then looked in the mirror and saw that he was cleansed of the blood. He frowned as he heard the bell ring. He hadn't even changed yet. There was no way he was going to make it to his next period on time.

XXXXXXXXXX

This was so not good. The second bell had rung about two minutes ago. Ron was late for his American history class. Normally being late wasn't that much of a worry. It took a few times of being late to get detention. But not in this class. Not with Mr. Barkin. With him it was one strike and you were out. In fact, you didn't even have to be late to get detention or extra homework from him. All it took was a funny look. Ron knew about that all too well.

He rushed through the halls to get to the classroom but didn't exactly know why. He was getting in trouble either way. It was either going to be detention or extra homework. Why should he hurry? At this point it wouldn't make a difference if he was two minutes late or ten minutes. Still though, he at least wanted to make the impression that he was trying. Intent is an important thing.

He opened the door to the classroom and entered quickly. The students all looked in his direction at the sight of the opening door. As Ron made his way to his desk, he was stopped by the voice of Mr. Barkin.

"Mr. Stoppable," the gruff voice said. "You're late."

"Sorry Mr. B," Ron said. "I had to clean up after P.E," he said truthfully.

"They give you time to do that before the period ends. It shouldn't take you this long. The locker room is not a spa."

A few tiny laughs came from the seated students, but these were immediately quelled by the stern gaze of their teacher.

"Extra homework," Mr. Barkin said. "You know the drill."

"Yeah. I know," Ron sighed.

"Good. Now take a seat."

Ron walked to his desk and sat down. Kim was seated to his right with Monique sitting directly behind her.

"You okay Ron?" Kim asked. The concerned expression on her face told him she was thinking about what had happened at the end of P.E.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

She knew he was lying. But now wasn't the time or the place to delve further into it.

"Listen up people," Mr. Barkin said. "We have a new student joining us today. Ms. Leon, would you mind coming to the front of the class and telling us a few things about yourself?"

A tanned blonde girl stood up from her seat in the back row and walked up to stand in front of the class.

"Is that…?" Monique gasped.

"I think it is!" Ron added with awe of his own.

"That's Camille Leon!"

"Heiress to the vast Meowtime Cat Food fortune!"

"A real life celebrity in our own school!"

Kim looked at Monique with a frustrated frown upon her lips.

"Oh I mean, uh, you're a celebrity too Kim. But this is Camille Leon!" she rationalized.

"Point taken. So what's she doing in Middleton?" Kim wondered.

The blonde nonchalantly flipped her hair behind her head.

"Okay so like, my name's Camille," she said casually. "I just moved here from New York. And before that I was in Paris, and so on. I travel a lot. It comes with being like, obscenely rich and stuff."

There was a collective "oooohhh" from the class upon hearing the girl speak.

"So yeah, I'm eighteen, a senior, and I can't understand why my parents moved to this little hick town." She continued. "I mean come on. This place is like, so ghetto. The stuff in that place you call a mall is so last year. And you don't even have-"

"Okay, that's all we need Ms. Leon," Mr. Barkin said cutting her off. "Please take your seat."

"Whatever," Camille said as she sat back down.

There was a murmur in the classroom as the students discussed what had just taken place.

"Can you believe her?" Kim asked in disbelief.

"That girl has some major ego issues," Monique said.

"Reminds me of someone else…" Ron added.

In the seat to the right of Camille, Bonnie sat as she looked at the new girl with unmistakable admiration.

"You're like, so amazing…" the brunette trailed off.

"Yeah, I know," Camille said as she looked at herself with a compact mirror she had produced from her purse.

"Want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?" Bonnie asked. "We're at the very top of the food chain. And I'm pretty much the queen of this school," she bragged.

Camille continued to admire her reflection and didn't respond.

"Camille?"

"Oh, sorry," the wealthy young woman said. "I was busy. Now what did you want?"

For the first time she could remember, Bonnie felt socially uncomfortable.

"I just was wondering…" she said uneasily. "If you would want to sit with me and my friends at lunch today."

Camille looked Bonnie up and down as if examining her to see if the brunette was worthy of her attention. The seconds seemed like hours for Middleton High's queen bee.

"Sure, why not," the blonde finally answered.

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief as it felt like a weight had been removed from her shoulders.

"Great!" she said as she regained her confidence.

"Ms. Rockwaller, Ms. Leon, this is not the time for socializing!" Mr. Barkin snapped.

Bonnie had been through this enough times and immediately turned her attention to the front of the classroom. Camille on the other hand just casually turned to look at her teacher. She looked back down into the contents of her purse as soon as the man turned his back to the class to begin writing on the board.

XXXXXXXXXX

Study hall was a wonderful idea. Ron thanked the person who had thought of it. It was a time he could relax. A time to get away from Mr. Barkin and various other teachers. It was also the only class he didn't share with Kim this year. She had decided not to take a study hall so she could get more of her classes finished. In fact, Ron couldn't remember if Kim had ever taken a study hall in her high school career. It wouldn't surprise him if she didn't though. She was driven to excel.

Sometimes he did some of the overwhelming amount of homework he had received from Mr. Barkin. Considering he had received some just last period, he decided now was as good of a time as any to do it. Early 1900s American history wasn't exactly what he would call interesting. In fact Ron couldn't think of any period of history that he found interesting. But it had to be done.

He was happy he was in the library. Normally study hall took place in a classroom, but students were free to go to the library for the period as long as they had permission to do so. It was a much more pleasant place to be. Not only was it quiet, but he got to sit at a table and in a comfortable chair while he did his work. It was also fairly desolate, as not many people wanted to be around the librarian, Ms. Hatchet. But since Ron never took an interest in checking out books she never had a reason to bother him. It all worked out perfectly.

He got out his textbook and the papers he had been given. He began reading as he played with a pen in his right hand. After a few seconds he turned to the work and began to write down some answers. He did this until he saw a shadow form on the table and looked up to find a girl standing in front of him.

"What's up?" Ron asked her.

"Oh… hi," the black haired girl said meekly. "My name's Jill. I was just wondering if you could help me out."

"Of course," Ron said proudly. "The Ron-man is always here to help. Especially the ladies."

"There's this book over there on the top shelf," she said pointing off to the side. "I can't reach it. I was wondering if you could get it for me."

Ron stood with a smile on his face.

"Of course I'll help you. I'm all about helping people out. That's why Kim and me do what we do."

Ron and Jill went over to the shelf and he was barely able to reach the book standing on his toes. After bringing it down he looked at the title.

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare?" he asked aloud. He looked up and gazed into her blue eyes. "You actually read this stuff?"

"Yeah… it's kinda a hobby of mine. That probably sounds stupid."

Ron laughed out loud, perhaps a little too loud as he earned a "shush" from Ms. Hatchet.

"I'm the last person who would judge you for stupid hobbies. You should hear all the stupid and crazy things I've done over the past three years."

"I'd like that," she said.

Ron was taken aback by not only her interest, but her friendliness.

"Wait, what?" he asked.

"I'm new and I don't know anyone here. So I want to make all the friends I can."

"Oh. No wonder I didn't recognize you. What year are you?"

"Sophomore."

"Ah, sophomore year," Ron said as he began to reminisce. "The talent show… man I was good."

"Talent show?"

"Long story."

"I've got time."

"Alright then. Well see, it all started when Bonnie Rockwaller was bragging about how she was going to win…"

XXXXXXXXXX

The stench of mystery meat hung in the air of the cafeteria. Those lucky enough to have brought bagged lunches with them were spared the horrors of the slimy gray substance loosely classified as meat. However, there were many unfortunate students who had to ingest the foul food. Though how many actually did so was up for debate. Many of the students only ate it if they were being paid by their classmates to do so, or upon a dare. Few were bold enough to do so on a dare alone, so most times money did exchange hands.

The reigning monarch of the school sat at her table surrounded by her court of cheerleaders. Of course one exception to the group was Kim, who sat with her own circle of close friends. Anyone was free to sit with Kim and her friends, and many times that's exactly what happened. But this was not the case with Bonnie. She guarded her exclusive table viciously. Politics and intrigue were common things at her table during the lunch period as the cheerleaders debated on who was worthy to join their clique. Today however was an almost unheard of exception. It wasn't every day that a world famous celebrity joined the ranks of Middleton High School.

Camille sat at the table with her phone in one hand and a diet soda in the other. She was rapidly hitting the buttons and sending text messages to people at an incredible pace. The girls sat there enamored as they stared at her. She took another sip of her drink and realized it was empty. She took her attention off her phone for a moment as she looked at the can, and then at the girls who surrounded her.

"Who wants to get me another soda?"

Not a second passed before each girl raised their hand and began begging to be the one to go to the vending machine. Camille sighed and randomly pointed at one of them who turned out to be the blonde junior named Jessica.

"You'll do," Camille told her. "Diet Coke."

Jessica squealed with excitement as she stood and rushed off to go to the vending machine.

The new girl flipped her phone shut and looked over the cheerleaders sitting with her.

"So like, what's up with this place?" she asked to no one in particular.

"What do you mean?" one of the cheerleaders asked.

"Why are there so many rules and stuff? Who do these people think they are to tell me what to do?"

"I know!" Bonnie sucked up. "These teachers think they're so great and important. Probably some superiority complex because they got picked on by all the popular kids when they were in high school."

The girls looked at Camille to see if she agreed.

"Yeah, probably," she scoffed.

Upon hearing this the rest of the girls all chimed in saying how they were totally with her.

"So Camille, what's it like to be so rich?" Bonnie wondered.

"Oh you know, the usual," she said. "Being the heiress to a multi-million dollar corporation is like, so stressful. It's so hard to be me."

The girls audibly expressed their sadness for their new-found wealthy friend when they heard this.

"You're always in the headlines and on magazine covers, and even reality TV shows!" Marcella exclaimed. "How do you look so good for it all?"

Camille laughed at the question.

"Oh please, like I have to work to maintain this?" she said referring to her good looks.

"I didn't mean anything bad by-"

Camille ignored the apology and started talking again.

"This place is like, so depressing. Haven't they ever heard of an interior decorator? These walls, this furniture, so gross. And where's that chick with my soda?"

XXXXXXXXXX

As the top of the food chain continued to suck up to the celebrity, Kim, Ron and Monique sat at their own table and looked on at the conversation. They weren't alone however, as Felix too had joined them for lunch along with a couple of other kids.

"Honestly, is there no depth to which they won't sink?" Felix wondered.

"I would say I'm surprised, but I don't think Bonnie could ever surprise me with her shallowness," Kim said.

"That girl's butt isn't big enough for them all to kiss at once," Monique commented.

"Maybe we can watch them fight over who goes first," Felix added.

"Yeah, we can set up a ring in the gym and sell tickets. Give them some steel chairs and they would put Pain King and Steel Toe to shame."

The teens laughed at the image of the cheerleaders fighting over such a prize.

"So Ron, is everything okay with you?" Kim wondered.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, you were late to history class today. And you know you can never be late to one of Barkin's classes."

"Oh that," he said hesitantly. "Uh, it just took me a bit longer to change, that's all."

"Did those guys give you trouble in the locker room?"

"Kim can we not…"

"No Ron, this is serious. You have to tell a teacher about this."

"And ruin my reputation even more?" he asked.

"What do you mean, 'even more'?"

Ron thought for a moment about his words, as he knew that he had to choose them carefully.

"Look Kim, I know that you're just trying to help me… but you can't go around defending me like that," he explained.

"What are you talking about Ron? I'm your friend. What am I supposed to do, ignore it?"

"Yes!" he said a bit too loudly. "No, I mean, I don't know Kim. I'm sorry, I know that your intentions are good and all, but you have to look at it from a guy's point of view."

"And what's a _guy's_ point of view?"

"Like, I can't have someone fighting my battles for me. Especially a girl."

"He's right Kim," Monique said.

Hearing Monique side with him surprised Kim.

"He's what?"

"It's a stupid guy thing. A guy has to stand up and fight his own battles. He can't hide behind someone, especially a girl. If he does, well… you don't want to know what kind of names they'll call him."

Kim looked over at Felix for a confirmation.

"It's true Kim," he agreed.

Kim looked down at the table dejectedly. It wasn't fair. Ron was her best friend. When someone picked on him she should be able to have his back. She knew that if she was a guy and the circumstances were the same that there would be no problem with standing at Ron's side. It was a stupid double standard. But even so, it was part of the society they lived in.

"I guess you're right," Kim admitted. "I'm sorry Ron. I never meant to embarrass you or anything. I just wanted to help you. You're my best friend."

Ron smiled and put a hand on Kim's shoulder.

"No big Kim. I know that you were just trying to help. But I need to do this my way."

Kim didn't know what his way was, but it would have to do.

"Okay. Just… just tell a teacher or something. There's no reason you should have to go through any of that stuff."

"I know."

With that topic resolved, the group changed the subject and began talking about something a bit more uplifting. Luckily for all of them, mocking the table of cheerleaders was something that everyone found to be enjoyable.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessica had since returned to the table with the can of Diet Coke. Camille thanked her for it, which sent the other blonde girl's spirit soaring. As far as she knew she was getting closer with the famous heiress.

Most of the conversation was dominated by Bonnie and Camille. It almost seemed as if there was a covert battle raging to determine who would be the dominant female at the top of the food chain. Bonnie was keeping her cool and doing a marvelous job of maintaining her position. But there were two things that Camille had that she didn't: wealth and fame. Of course, Bonnie came from a relatively wealthy family, but they were nowhere near the level that the Leon family was on. The fact that her face was instantly recognizable due to her reality TV appearances gave Camille the same amount of exposure to the student population that Bonnie had.

At the moment Bonnie was giving Camille a little tour of people and cliques in the cafeteria.

"So that table right there, art freaks," she said pointing at one of the tables. "Except for Josh Mankey. He is so cool," she added.

Camille just nodded.

"And there, jocks," Bonnie said. "And the big guy with blonde hair is Brick Flagg, captain of the football team, and my boyfriend."

Camille looked as Brick smashed an empty soda can on his forehead and crushed it. The other jocks cheered wildly at the "impressive" feat.

"And them…" Bonnie said with a hint of disgust. "Those people are total losers," she said referring to the table Kim and Ron were at.

"I thought that redhead was like, Kim Possible," Camille said.

"Yeah, she's a freak. And her best friend Ron Stoppable is worse."

"The others?"

"They aren't as bad. But if they hang out with Possible and Stoppable then they're at the very bottom of the food chain."

"Uh huh," Camille yawned.

"Yeah, so now you know who to steer clear of."

"So why don't you like Possible and Stoppable?"

Bonnie was baffled. No one had ever questioned her when it came to this. It took her a few seconds to think of an explanation.

"Because like… she's… you know like, always doing that whole save the world thing."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Look I don't know!" Bonnie said with a hint of frustration.

The slightest hint of a smile graced the lips of the heiress.

"She's a cheerleader, right?"

"Yeah."

"And he's the mascot."

"Yeah… what a loser."

"And do they ever leave school to do their little mission thingies?"

"Sometimes. They get all kinds of special treatment. That's one reason they piss me off."

"How often does that happen?"

"I dunno. Maybe once or twice a week?"

Camille was silent for a few moments.

"Kay. Bored now," Camille said as she grabbed her phone from her purse.

Bonnie was taken aback by not only the suddenness of Camille's change of heart, but by the rudeness as well. But she decided not to do anything about it. The last thing she wanted right now was a civil war at the popular kid's table. A conflict between the top of the food chain could prove to be disastrous for her own social status.

XXXXXXXXXX

School was over, and Ron was happy about that. It had been a rough day, rougher than usual. He had been picked on before, but never to the extent of what had happened in the locker room after P.E. class. He definitely wouldn't miss Brick when he graduated… if he graduated. This was his seventh year at Middleton High School, his fourth as a senior. He didn't know whether to laugh at Brick because of that or to pity him. Neither could be done to his face of course. But he was alone now. It was exactly how he wanted it at the moment.

Sometimes he would just go off to be alone and think about his life. There were so many different aspects of it, and each affected him in its own little way. He had great friends who he could always trust. He went on world saving missions with his best friend. Then again his social standing at school was the envy of no one. He wondered why things couldn't just be simpler for him. He hated having to be happy about half of his life and sad about the other.

He was sitting under a tree at one of the parks in Middleton. No one knew that this was a location that Ron visited from time to time. It was a place he knew he could go to if he wanted to be alone. Not even his friends knew he came here. Normally there weren't many people here, as it wasn't a park for humans. Rather it was a dog park where people would bring their canine friends to play and get exercise with. He liked watching the fun that the people and their pets had when they were here.

Rufus came out of his pocket after a nap and crawled onto Ron's leg. He looked up at his human and noticed the expression on his face. It was one of both joy and sorrow. The rodent squeaked to get Ron's attention.

"What's up buddy?" he asked the pink animal.

Rufus turned his head sideways and continued to chatter. Ron knew that he was curious about how he was feeling.

"It's okay Rufus," he told his friend. "Just thinking. Just wondering what I should do about the whole thing at school."

The naked mole rat kept his eyes focused on Ron as he wanted him to continue.

"I don't know what to do. I know that I have to do something to end all this stuff. But I can't fight. Not like Kim at least. And I can't have her fight them for me. That would just make a whole new set of problems."

Rufus nodded in agreement. He turned his head at the sound of a person approaching. As if on cue Kim was approaching them. Ron heard Rufus' chatter and he too turned his head to see his best friend walking toward him.

"Kim?" he asked with obvious surprise in his voice.

"Ron, we've got a sitch," the redhead said.

"How did you know I was here?"

"No time for that. Our ride is here," she said pointing out to the middle of the field.

A Global Justice hover jet was beginning its descent down onto the open grass. All of the dogs and their owners had gotten out of the way as it landed. Ron stood up and the two teens began walking toward it.

"But I don't have my mission clothes."

She smiled as she looked at him and held up a bag.

"No big, I brought you a pair from my place," she said. "You can change in the cargo hold on board."

"Yeah. I guess that works."

The pair boarded the jet which immediately took off once the door was closed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Henchmen lay strewn across the floor of the lab. An alarm was blaring at the moment, though why exactly it had started had long since been forgotten. There were simply more important things to worry about at the moment. The flashing red lights around the room were far less of a priority than finishing off the hired help of this supervillain.

Seeing the last of his men fall at the hands of Kim Possible, Max Brigand walked to the center of the room and stared down the teen hero.

"You guys made a big mistake interrupting Max Brigand's heist," he told Kim and Ron.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Kim asked.

"You two don't know who you're dealing with. Max Brigand is the biggest and most feared villain in Oregon," he explained.

"Sorry, never heard of you." She said with a shrug.

"What are you talking about! Max Brigand is all over the news!"

"Dude, why do you keep saying your own name like that?" Ron asked.

"Look kid, it's Max Brigand's gimmick. Us super villains all have to have one. And this is Max Brigand's."

"Ugh… this is so tedious," Kim sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"You're going to be so embarrassed when Max Brigand gets his hands on you!"

"Come on man! Stop talking like that!" Ron said with frustration.

Kim waved off her sidekick's anger as a smile grew on her face.

"Don't worry Ron. This guy is finished."

She charged at the man who was standing there waiting for her attack. He swung a clumsy right fist at her which was easily avoided as she did a baseball slide through his wide open legs. She popped up behind him and sent an elbow crashing into the back of his head. The villain stumbled forward at the blow.

"Ah!" he screamed. "Max Brigand is losing… this can't be!"

As he turned around he was greeted by Kim's left fist to his gut and her right to his face. The most feared villain in Oregon fell to the floor clutching the injured areas of his body in pain.

Kim stood up straight and admired her handy work. Max Brigand and all of his men were incapacitated. Now it was just up to Global Justice to finish cleaning up. The lab was safe and all of the technology inside it was kept out of villainous hands.

As the Global Justice agents swarmed into the room, Kim and Ron took their leave and went back to the ride that would take them home. After they got inside Ron remembered to bring up the question that had been on his mind since the mission began.

"So, uh, Kim…" he said. "How exactly did you know where I was today?"

"I know all your usual hangouts," Kim replied confidently.

"Yeah, most of them. But not this one."

"I'm sure you've mentioned it before."

"Nope, I've never told anyone about this place."

The nervous look on Kim's face betrayed the thoughts that were occurring in her mind. She looked away from Ron so he wouldn't notice.

"KP, do you have some sort of satellite or something?" he wondered. "I mean, not you of course, but Wade?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's the only way I can think of that you would have been able to find me. I mean, I don't have a problem with it if you do. It's actually pretty cool if we have our own satellite. But I would like to be in the loop about it if we do."

Kim bit her lower lip before she answered.

"Yeah, Wade's been testing a new satellite he launched into orbit recently. It's not done or anything, so he hasn't told us about it yet. But since I couldn't find you today he told me he would use it to look around the city for you."

Ron's smile told his best friend that he was satisfied with the answer.

"Yeah, I thought so," he laughed. "I couldn't figure it out at first, but that's the only logical explanation for it. We should tell him to keep us up to date with all of his new inventions. I know his intentions are good, but I'd still like him to keep us informed. You know what I mean?"

Kim nodded weakly in agreement.

"Yeah. We'll totally talk to Wade."

XXXXXXXXXX

A cool night fell upon Middleton. She was happy that her living room had a nice fireplace in it. Of course the house had central heating as well, but for her it was more enjoyable to curl up on the couch with a blanket and feel the heat of the flames.

Camille's head was propped up on a pillow as she flipped through various magazines. She soon grew bored with them and grabbed some more reading material off of the table next to her. She held two manila folders that had been given to her several days earlier. Looking at the tab of the top folder, she saw that it read "Team Possible". She gently tossed it aside. It was the second folder that held more interest to her.


	2. Signs and Portents

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Your feedback means a lot. And thanks to DoofusPrime for his help and advice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_The intent of a question is sometimes as important as the answer."_

_~Commander Jeffrey Sinclair_

XXXXXXXXXX

It was fitting that they were covering the Great Depression this week in American History class. To her, this school, these people, the whole situation was nothing short of depressing. She felt like she was trapped in a prison. Only this prison didn't have bars, and there were no security guards. Rather it was a prison of glass and brick, and the only people who stood watch over the captives wore suits and slacks. Mr. Barkin stood in front of the class writing with his erasable black marker on the white board. Camille was happy she was in the back row. The stench of the markers was not something she enjoyed.

She sat in her seat with her arm propping her head up as she listened to the boring lecture of the brown-suited man. What was his problem anyway? Didn't he know that the Great Depression was over? Didn't he know how rich she was? Why did she have to learn about all of this boring history stuff? In her boredom she blew a bubble with the gum she had been chewing on. The loud popping noise got the attention of her instructor. He turned around to see her chomping away on the pink gum.

"Excuse me, Ms. Leon," he said to her. "Would you please throw that gum in the trash."

She sighed as she stood.

"Fine."

Camille walked to the small garbage can and tossed her gum in. Mr. Barkin began speaking as she made her way back to her desk.

"So people, it's important to remember that these people had nothing, but they never gave up hope. They kept fighting and working for everything they could get. It's part of what it means to be an American, part of what it means to…"

His sentence trailed off as, once more, he turned around at the sound of noise coming from his students. He looked back and saw that Camille had put another piece of gum in her mouth and was chewing loudly on it. She stopped when she realized that Mr. Barkin was looking at her again.

"What?" she asked.

"Ms. Leon, there's no gum allowed in my classroom."

"But this stuff is blue," she said in her defense.

Mr. Barkin opened his mouth to say something, but was at a loss for words. Finally he regained his composure.

"Ms. Leon, I didn't make you throw out your other gum because it wasn't blue."

"So wait, I have to get rid of this too?"

"Yes. Please throw it away. And from now on, no gum of any color."

Camille scoffed at his words.

"This place is like, so lame," she said as she once more threw away her gum. "And what are Pickle Works?" she randomly added. "Weird little town…"

Mr. Barkin narrowed his eyes at her as she walked back to her seat.

"Well then, perhaps you could learn to appreciate Middleton and the rules of this school by spending a day in detention."

The blonde exhaled dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You're the teacher."

"Good. I'll be seeing you after school. 3:00 in room twelve. Don't be late."

Camille blew a few strands of hair out of her face and looked down at her textbook. Bonnie leaned over to her new friend.

"He is so lame," she whispered.

Camille nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe you have detention on like, your second day here."

The heiress turned and gave Bonnie a questioning look. She apparently hadn't heard what the cheerleader had said.

"I can't believe he gave you detention," she repeated louder.

Camille mouthed the word "what?" to her.

"I said, I can't-"

Bonnie must have whispered a bit too loudly that time, as Mr. Barkin turned his attention back to the class.

"Ms. Rockwaller, do you have something you would like to share with the class?" he asked.

"No."

"So your conversation is more important than my lecture?"

"No Mr. Barkin, I just-"

"Save it Rockwaller. Detention, room twelve. You can join your new friend."

Bonnie opened her mouth in horror. This wasn't fair, this wasn't right. Cheerleaders didn't do detention. At that moment she wanted to say something nasty to her teacher, but she knew that doing so would only earn her more days of detention.

"Yes Mr. Barkin," she wound up saying.

Bonnie folded her arms in frustration and stared angrily into the back of her instructors head. Camille looked back down at her book with a sly grin on her face.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was at his locker getting the books he would need for his next few classes. Today had been a pretty peaceful day so far. Well, apart from the drama in history class last period. It was a surprise to see two people get detention when neither of them was him. It was even more of a surprise that Bonnie was one of the people.

As he closed his locker door, he saw that Big Mike was standing there looking at him. He hadn't spoken to the large boy much, even on the numerous occasions they had shared detention. Ron wondered what he wanted.

"Hey there Big Mike," said Ron.

"Hey," the brute grunted.

"What brings you to my locker?"

"Business," he said flatly.

"Huh? What business."

"Bully problem," Mike explained. Big Mike wasn't big on elaboration. This made him difficult to figure out at times.

"What bully problem?"

"Yours."

"Oh…" Ron said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I kinda had a problem yesterday. But I'm gonna take care of it."

"I got it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I kick their asses."

Mike's business proposition finally made sense to Ron.

"Oh. No no no, that's totally unnecessary. I don't want you to take care of them for me. I mean it's a nice offer and all, but I don't want anything like that."

Mike seemed to ignore Ron's comment.

"I take care of them today, you pay up tomorrow."

Ron's large classmate began to walk away after saying this. Ron stood there dumbfounded for a moment before he spoke up.

"Hey wait! I don't want this!" he yelled after Mike.

Mike continued walking and raised his right arm and waved at Ron without looking back. If he had heard what the teen hero had said, he did not acknowledge it.

Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket and looked up at his human. Ron looked down at his hairless friend.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was sitting in the library during study hall again. He had decided to make a habit of it. Not only was it quiet and nearly empty, but he had also made a new friend. He sat at a table looking at his history assignment. Luckily he had finished all of the extra homework he had been assigned yesterday and turned it in today. He liked the fact that Kim pushed him to achieve things he never thought he could do. After their mission she had gone to his house and helped him with the work. Of course she hadn't done any of it for him; she would never help him cheat like that. But she had helped him when he needed actual assistance.

Right now he was busy learning all of the key terms in this chapter. He was happy that they were in bold print so they were easy to find. He didn't like the books that actually made you look for the important things.

As he continued scanning the words and taking notes, Jill came over and sat down across from him.

"Hey Ron," she said cheerfully.

"What's up Shakespeare," he answered, referring to her reading hobby.

"Busy with… history, I see," she said, looking at his upside down book. "So depressing."

Ron smiled at her choice of words.

"They don't call it the Great Depression for nothing."

"Oh, right."

"So how has your day been so far?" he asked.

"Nothing too interesting. You?"

"A bit of drama in history class. A couple of girls got detention."

"Sounds fun," she smiled.

"It was pretty weird. It was a new girl and Bonnie Rockwaller of all people."

"So what, she never gets detention or something?"

"Never. This has got to be her first time."

"Something tells me she's way past her first time," Jill grinned.

Ron laughed out loud. It earned him an icy glare from Ms. Hatchet.

"That was just mean Jill," he giggled.

"Couldn't resist."

"But something really strange happened a few minutes ago."

"Oh? Do tell."

"This guy, Big Mike we call him, came up to me and offered his 'services' to me. Apparently he wants to be my bodyguard or something."

"That's kind of nice of him."

"Yeah, except the fact that he expects me to pay for the protection."

"So why didn't you just say no?"

"I did. But he wouldn't listen. Looks like he's going to beat up a couple of kids who have been messing with me."

"What happens if you don't pay?"

"Don't know… and I'm kinda nervous about finding out. He expects me to pay him tomorrow."

Jill considered his words for a moment before looking back into his eyes.

"I'm sure it will work out. You seem like a nice enough guy." The raven-haired girl said sincerely.

"Thanks Jill."

The two continued to chat and work on their respective assignments until the bell rang. Ron was truly beginning to enjoy spending time with the sophomore girl. She didn't know about the loser who got ridiculed by Bonnie and others. She only knew the guy she talked to in study hall. He decided it would be a good idea to talk to Kim about the three of them hanging out sometime. Someone who was new in town like her could use some friends to hang out with outside of school.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was 2:59 when Bonnie opened the door to detention. She was happy that it wasn't past 3:00 or else she would have been late. And being late for detention earned a person an extra day. It was such a sickening and unfamiliar feeling for her. This was her third year of high school, and she had never once had detention. The idea of being stuck with the scum of the school disgusted her.

But those feelings were washed away when she saw Camille sitting there as well. At least she wouldn't have to suffer this alone. It was totally unfair how she and her new friend had gotten detention. Whoever thought that Mr. Barkin was tough but fair couldn't be more wrong. The man had a grudge against the popular kids. Bonnie assumed that he, just like the rest of the staff at this school, had been picked on back when they were teenagers.

The brunette took a seat next to Camille, who was busy talking on her phone and didn't acknowledge the arrival of the queen of the school. Bonnie wanted to be mad about that, but at the same time knew that Camille was probably talking to someone very important from Hollywood. She wondered what it was like to live a life of extravagance and fame like Camille did.

When the clock reached 3:00, Mr. Barkin closed the door. He turned his attention to the few students who were in detention today. Everyone was silent with the exception of one person.

"So then like, she came out of the dressing room, and those jeans looked so hideous on her," Camille said to whoever was on the other end of the conversation.

"Ms. Leon, please put your phone away," the large man told her.

His words were ignored.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "If she thinks she can pull off a size 2, she's way wrong."

"Ms. Leon," he said a bit louder.

"No way," she said into the phone before pausing to listen to the response. "No way! Shut up! There's like, no way!" she continued to say in disbelief.

"Ms. Leon!" he shouted.

This finally got the new girls attention. She looked up at him.

"Sorry, I have to go now. This teacher guy is getting all in my face," she told her friend. "I think he wants to talk to me or something. Later."

She flipped her phone shut and folded her hands neatly on her desk as she looked up at Mr. Barkin.

"Kay, all done," she said happily.

By now the faculty member's face was turning a dangerous shade of red. He took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking.

"Ms. Leon, I'll be seeing you in here tomorrow as well. Maybe that will teach you to follow the rules of this school."

She sighed loudly.

"Whatever," she said to him. "This place is like, worse than Alcatraz," she added to no one in particular.

The rest of the detention was spent in utter silence. Mr. Barkin sat at his desk at the front of the room while the students worked on their assignments or read a book. Bonnie was amazed at the boldness of Camille. No one had ever disrespected Mr. Barkin like that. It made the cheerleader admire the heiress even more. But at the same time it would only increase the popularity of the blonde. And there was no way that Bonnie could let another girl become more popular than her. She knew that she had to monitor the situation closely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was sitting on his couch with a book in his lap and a pen and some papers at his side. English was definitely not one of his favorite subjects, especially British literature. That was what the class was covering this semester. From Chaucer to Shakespeare to Dickens, they were doing it all. It was all so old and out of date to him. It was also extremely boring. But he knew that he had to get through it all. It would be worth it in the end when he got a good grade and helped him get into a good college.

As he continued reading his current assignment he heard the doorbell ring. He considered this to be a good thing because he could take a break. He put aside his book and happily walked to the front door. When he opened it he saw Kim standing there in full mission gear.

"Kim?" he said with surprise.

"Mission time Ron," she told him.

"Wow really? Two missions in two days? Why can't these supervillains ever give us a break?"

"Don't know, but no time to talk," she said coolly. "Our ride is waiting."

"Hold on, let me change into my mission outfit."

"No time. You're fine how you are."

"Oh. Alright then."

Ron stepped outside after her and closed the door behind him. The two teens walked to the black SUV waiting in front of his house. The vehicle took off immediately after the two had climbed into the back seat.

Ron looked around at the black leather interior of the SUV before turning to his friend.

"I'm liking this ride, really classy," he commented.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," Kim agreed.

"So who exactly is our ride? I can't say I remember him."

"This is Bill. He's an accountant I think," she said as she tried to remember. "Right Bill?"

"Yes Ms. Possible," the driver said without looking back.

Ron looked at the man for a moment before shrugging.

"Well I guess that would explain the suit. The only accountant I've ever met wore blue spandex."

"Burn Burmin. I remember him," Kim added.

"Yeah, that guy…" Ron said thoughtfully. "Man, those guys were weird."

The pair of teens looked out the windows of the SUV as it continued toward its destination. That was when Ron realized that he didn't know what exactly the destination was.

"So Kim, where exactly are we going?"

"Museum of Upperton," she replied.

"Okay. What's going on there?"

"Not sure. I'm sure the guy in charge will tell us when we're there."

"Yeah, probably. Think they have anything to eat there?"

"I don't think they want people to get food stains on their priceless items."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Hey Bill, think we can stop off at a Bueno Nacho before we get there?"

"I'm afraid not Mr. Stoppable. Our top priority is to get to the museum as soon as possible."

"Okay. We can hit the BN on our way home then."

It took about twenty minutes for the vehicle to arrive at the Museum of Upperton. The SUV dropped the pair off at the front of the building and went to park. Kim and Ron walked up the steps and into the museum. Ron followed Kim's lead as she led him through the exhibits to wherever their destination was. Finally they stopped when they reached a man in his early sixties wearing a rather expensive looking suit. The man turned and looked at the two teens.

"Kim Possible," he greeted warmly. "It is truly a privilege to meet you. My name is Dr. Alexander Burton."

"It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Burton," she replied.

"What brings you to my museum?"

Ron looked at Kim. Wasn't there supposed to be a mission?

"I understand that you'll be receiving an item for a brand new exhibit which will be opening tomorrow," she said.

"Ah yes!" Dr. Burton said. "The Tiffany Yellow Diamond. Yes, it will be arriving tonight. What about it?"

"It occurred to me that you could use some extra security. After all, it's one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered."

Dr. Burton nodded thoughtfully and smiled.

"Yes, that is a most excellent idea," he agreed. "There have already been recent attempts to steal it in Paris and New York. My mind would be put to ease if you were on my security team."

"So what's so great about this diamond?" Ron wondered.

"It's a very large and valuable diamond," Kim explained to him. "It's over a hundred and twenty carets, and has ninety facets."

"Wow Kim, I'm impressed by your gem knowledge."

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend," she smiled.

"128.54 carets to be exact," Dr. Burton said.

"So yeah, that's a pretty big and important diamond."

"I guess so," Ron concluded. "You'd think they would stop putting it on display if people have tried to steal it twice."

"And rob the public of a chance to see the one of the most beautiful jewels in the world?" Dr. Burton asked. "Preposterous. With Kim Possible here to guard its arrival, I have absolutely no doubts that it will be safe."

"It's not big," Kim said dismissively with a wave of her hand.

The man in charge of the museum went and shook Kim's hand.

"Thank you so much for this generous offer Ms. Possible. The diamond is scheduled to arrive here tonight at 9:00. So if you could be here around a half hour earlier, that would be splendid."

"Sure thing Dr. Burton. It would be my pleasure," she smiled. "But while we're here, I would also like to get a look at what kind of security you already have set up. You know, just so I know what I'm working with."

"Certainly. Come with me and I'll take you on a tour of our security measures."

The trio began walking around the area of the exhibit as Dr. Burton pointed out all of the security cameras and lasers which would trigger an alarm if crossed. He then led them to the museums security station.

"Here is where we have guards to monitor all of the cameras," he said. "There will be two on duty tonight, along with the guards who will actually be transporting the diamond into the exhibit."

"How many will be with the diamond?" Kim wondered.

"Five armed guards."

"Okay, sounds good. Thank you for the tour Dr. Burton."

"It was an honor to meet you as well, Ms. Possible. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

"Me too."

The teens took their leave and walked back through the museum and out to their waiting ride. When they got inside Ron felt his stomach growl.

"Okay Kim, Bueno Nacho time," he said happily. "Bill, could you please drop us off at the Bueno Nacho in Middleton?"

Bill looked at the rearview mirror before answering.

"Yes Mr. Stoppable," he said. "Of course."

"Boo yah!"

Twenty minutes later the black SUV had dropped the two off in front of the familiar eating establishment. Bill then parked in the Bueno Nacho parking lot and shut off the engine. Ron rushed through the door and up to the counter to order food. Kim walked a bit slower behind him but eventually reached his side.

"So… what are you getting?" Kim asked.

"I'm thinking two nacos and two chimurritos." Ron replied excitedly.

"I'm just getting a salad…"

"A salad? Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Ron stopped for a moment before turning back to his friend.

"Whoa, Motor Ed moment."

Kim nodded.

"Dr. Drakken's cousin," she stated.

"Hard to believe those two could be related."

"Yeah. It is," she agreed.

They stood at the counter for a couple of minutes before their food was ready. When it arrived they carried their trays off to their usual table. Ron led the way and sat down on one side of the table, Kim sitting across from him.

He took a monstrous bite of his first naco. It left a good amount of beef and cheese around his mouth. Kim had a slightly disgusted look on her face.

"How can you eat that stuff?" she wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's so gross."

"What are you talking about? You usually eat this stuff too. What's with the salad?"

"I'm watching my figure."

"Okay, but still. What's with the sudden hate for the three major food groups?"

"Three major food groups?"

Ron held up his naco.

"Salty, spicy and cheesy."

"Uh, well, I saw this show about the fast food industry. It's all so disgusting," she frowned.

"Yeah but we used to work here remember?" he reminded her. "We saw how it's all made. We know that at least this place is clean."

"I guess."

"So maybe next time you'll be feeling brave enough to get a naco? I did invent the thing after all."

Kim smiled a bit before sticking her fork into some lettuce.

"Sure Ron. Next time."

"That's the Kim I know," he said before finishing off the naco. He swallowed it before speaking again. "So we have like twenty minutes until we should get going back to the museum. Are we just going to hang out here?"

"I guess. It is our hangout place after all."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Oh, before I forget. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's that?"

"I met this girl in study hall yesterday. Her name's Jill."

"Oh. Okay, what about her?"

"She's new to town and she's pretty cool. I was wondering if she could hang out with us sometime."

"Sure, I don't see why not," she nodded.

"Great. She's funny too. Oh, and she likes Shakespeare."

"Does somebody have a crush?" she smirked.

"Nah," he waved her off. "She's just a cool sophomore girl. And since she's new and stuff, I figured she could use some friends. I know that if I was the new kid I would want someone to try to be my friend."

"Yeah. Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

The two continued to talk until around 8:00. When Kim looked at her watch and saw that it was time to leave, she and Ron exited the building and walked to the waiting SUV. It would take another twenty minutes to get to the Museum of Upperton. There they would be briefed about their role in making sure the diamond got to its exhibit.

XXXXXXXXXX

This was so cool. Ron had never gotten to use walkie-talkies before on a mission. Usually it was just Kim who had the kimmunicator. But now he had the ability to talk not only to her, but to everyone else on the security team as well. So far he hadn't been able to take advantage of this, but he was determined to before the mission ended.

Kim and Ron had split up for this mission. At the moment he was standing outside the museum on the corner of an intersection. It was his job to be on the lookout for any suspicious vehicles that could be approaching the museum from those directions. So far he had nothing to report back. He decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to use his walkie-talkie. He held down one of the buttons and put it to his mouth.

"Bravo Foxtrot, this is Foxtrot Squared. Do you read me? Over." He said as he immediately began giggling after he finished.

"Yeah Ron. I'm here," Kim replied over the device.

"Aww come on Kim, play along."

There was a pause before she replied.

"Okay Foxtrot Squared, I read you. Over."

The wide grin on his face couldn't be suppressed when he heard his best friend reply. He felt like he was ten years old again.

"No sign of any trouble on my end. Over."

"Okay. Right now we're escorting the diamond to its exhibit. Over."

"Sounds good. I'll keep you informed out here. Over and out."

Ron lowered the walkie-talkie from his face and continued to look around the streets. Night had fallen and there wasn't a whole lot of traffic at the moment. The street lights provided him with excellent visibility. Nothing would pose a threat to the museum as long as he was out here.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim and the security detail were busy with the finishing touches of putting the diamond in its glass display case. She along with Dr. Burton and the guards stood to the side while the museum workers were adjusting the positioning of the valuable jewel before closing the case. After closing it they activated the security lasers which would alert them if anyone attempted to steal the diamond. When they did Kim reached for her walkie-talkie.

"Foxtrot Squared, this is Bravo Foxtrot. Mission is accomplished, you can come inside. Over," she said.

"On my way. Over and out."

Kim clipped the device to her waist before turning to Dr. Burton.

"Well it's good to see that this worked out nicely," she said.

"Indeed," the old man agreed. "You have my most sincere gratitude for your assistance."

"Not a problem. It was nice to be able to see the diamond up close."

"It's truly marvelous in person, isn't it?"

"It is. You'd have to be a pretty lucky girl to be able to wear it."

"Indeed. It has only ever been worn by two people in its existence."

Dr. Burton turned to the security and museum workers.

"And a fine job to all of you as well," he congratulated them. "Everything seems to be in order here, so all of you are free to leave."

The other men nodded and took their leave. Dr. Burton turned back to Kim.

"Can I expect to see you back here when the exhibit opens to the public?" he wondered.

"Definitely. I couldn't not want to see this diamond again."

"Wonderful."

"For now though it looks like I'll have to leave," she said as she knew the museum was currently closed. "As soon as Ron gets back we'll get out of your hair."

"Nonsense Ms. Possible. It was a delight to work with you."

"You're too kind."

The two turned when they saw Ron approaching them.

"Job well done, eh Kim?" he asked.

"Everything went perfect. But now it's time to go."

"Yeah. It was nice to meet you sir," he said to Dr. Burton. "Your jewels are very nice looking."

Kim looked at Ron curiously.

"Uh, diamond. Your diamond is very nice."

The old man smiled.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Stoppable."

The trio began walking through the museum to the front doors. Kim stopped before they reached them.

"I'm sorry Dr. Burton, but I was wondering if I could use the restroom before I left?"

"Of course. It's off in that direction," he said pointing back into the museum. "There's a sign where the entrance is. You can't miss it."

"Thanks. I'll be back in no time."

Kim walked off to go to the restroom leaving Ron and Dr. Burton alone. The period of silence that settled over them was a bit uncomfortable. It lasted a couple of minutes before Ron spoke up.

"So…" Ron began. "How did you get into the museum business?" he asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a business," he replied.

"Okay, but the whole museum thing. I mean, do you have to have a PhD or something?"

"Yes, that tends to be helpful."

"Ah. So what's yours in?"

"Geology and gemology."

"Oh. That makes sense."

Before Dr. Burton could respond, the shrieking sounds of the security alarm pierced the air.

"The security's been breached!" yhe old man shouted.

"You head to the security station, I'll check out the exhibit!" Ron ordered.

The two began running together before they went off their separate ways to get to their respective destinations.

Dr. Burton reached the security station first, where he found the two guards that were stationed there out cold. Every screen on the wall that they were monitoring contained nothing but black and white static. The control panel was sparking and covered with some kind of liquid.

"What is going on!" he shouted to himself.

Seeing that a fire could start at any moment, he grabbed the two unconscious guards and dragged them out of the room one by one.

Ron ran to the exhibit to find that one of his worst fears had manifested. He saw Kim lying face down on the floor. He immediately sprinted over to her and flipped her on her back. With one hand he propped her back up, the other clinging to one of her own limp hands.

"KP!" he shouted in fear. "KP! Can you hear me?"

Kim slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She looked up into Ron's own concerned eyes and gritted her teeth before speaking.

"I… I tried to stop them," she said.

"Who? What happened?"

Kim seemed to be struggling to speak.

"It was… the Seniors," she managed to say. "They took the diamond."

Ron looked up and saw that the display case was shattered. There was also a fair amount of damage to the other exhibits surrounding it. Apparently a fight had taken place just moments earlier.

"Kim are you okay? Do you need any kind of medical attention?"

She blinked a few more times before she was able to sit up under her own power.

"No, no I'm okay. I just… I can't believe they got away," she said with obvious dismay.

"It's okay KP," he said reassuringly. "We can get the diamond back. The important thing is that you're okay."

Kim exhaled deeply and winced in pain before looking back into Ron's eyes.

"Thanks Ron," she smiled warmly.

By now Dr. Burton had come rushing into the room. In the distance the sirens of approaching police cars could be heard approaching.

"What happened? Where's the diamond?" Dr. Burton yelled.

"The Seniors stole it," Ron said as he turned to him.

"Damn it!"

"I'm sorry Dr. Burton," Kim said sorrowfully. "I heard the alarm when I was in the washroom… I tried to stop them."

Dr. Burton reached down and put a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Please my dear, don't blame yourself for this. This is no one's fault."

"I'm sorry…" she repeated.

"They chose the perfect time to strike. They caught us all off guard. The important thing is that you're not badly injured."

"Thank you sir…" she said weakly.

"But the two security guards manning the station were knocked unconscious by those two criminals." He said with disdain. "And the cameras and security system were damaged beyond repair."

"Man, this tanks," Ron said sadly.

The old man stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"However, now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. We must give all of these details to the police and other law enforcement agencies at once. We must get that diamond back."

Kim and Ron both nodded.

"Sir, if you don't mind I'm going to take Kim home. She looks pretty shaken up," Ron said.

"Of course," the other man smiled weakly. "And don't worry, we'll inform you as soon as we get more information as to the whereabouts of the Seniors. I'm sure you will want to retrieve the diamond personally."

"Yes," Kim agreed.

The two teens stood and began walking toward the exit.

"Take care of yourselves," Dr. Burton told them.

"You too," Ron replied.

The pair didn't speak much as they entered the black SUV. The ride home was a bit more talkative, most of it Ron talking to Kim to make sure she was okay. She kept insisting that she was, but Ron refused to stop worrying until at least her mother checked her out. When they arrived back at Kim's house she insisted that Ron go home and get some sleep. Ron reluctantly agreed, and the SUV drove off to take him home, leaving Kim standing alone on the sidewalk in front of her house.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille was lying in bed with her hairless pet cat, Debutante. She was busy holding up a book so that both of them could see its contents. As she continued reading it aloud, she heard her cell phone ring. She reached over to grab it and brought it close to her so she could see the caller ID. She sighed when she saw the number, but knew that she had to answer it.

"What do you want?" she answered rudely.

"You should show a little more respect to me," the other voice said.

"Well excuse me. It's a bit late you know."

"I want to know if you have it."

"Of course I have it."

"When will you be delivering it to me?"

Camille scoffed. She couldn't believe that he was calling her so late at night for this.

"You interrupted me for this?" she asked him. "I was reading Debutante her bedtime story."

The person on the other end was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking again.

"What debutante?" he asked.

She ignored the question.

"Look, you'll get it when I have time to bring it to you. Happy?"

"No I'm not happy!" he whined. "I'm paying you a lot for your services. I expect you to be prompt and efficient."

"Well it's not like I can send it to you in a UPS package. Don't worry about it. Seriously. Everything is going fine."

The man on the other end grumbled something under his breath before he spoke up to ask another question.

"Fine. So how is the second part of the plan going?"

Camille smiled and let out a tiny, quiet laugh before answering.

"It's going just as well. Tomorrow the fun will really begin."


	3. The Art of War

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who has taken an interest in this story. I'm having fun writing it, and I hope all of you are having fun reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_All warfare is based on deception."_

_~Sun Tzu_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was feeling pretty down. They had failed their mission last night. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk about it with Kim yet. They hadn't spoken when he had gotten home the previous night. And so far today during school they hadn't had a chance to discuss it. There was simply no socializing in one of Mr. Barkin's classes. But lunch would be the perfect time to get an update from her and Wade. He just had to get to lunch first.

Right now he was getting his history textbook out of his locker for the upcoming class. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a hulking form coming down the hall toward him. He turned to see that it was Big Mike. Ron bit his lower lip nervously. He knew exactly what was coming next.

Big Mike stopped next to Ron's locker and looked at him for a few seconds. Ron turned and looked up at the giant.

"Hey Big Mike," he said. "Great weather we're having, right?"

The large boy apparently wasn't in the mood for casual chit-chat.

"Job's done," he said.

Ron swallowed hard and nodded.

"But, I told you not to."

Big Mike ignored him.

"That means you owe me."

The blond took a deep breath.

"Look Big Mike, I… uh… I kinda don't have any money for you," he told the brute.

"End of the day."

"What?"

"You have until the end of the day," Mike said flatly.

Ron lowered his gaze to the floor. It was hard to look into the eyes of such an intimidating figure in a situation like this. Finally he regained some measure of courage and looked back up.

"What happens if I don't pay you?" he asked.

For the first time Ron could remember, Big Mike's facial expression changed. Where it was normally a stoic, emotionless mask, it had turned into a slight grin. Quite honestly it disturbed Ron more than a bit.

"Then we discuss new arrangements after school," Big Mike said cryptically.

"Oh…" Ron said uneasily.

"So pay by the end of the day."

Ron didn't answer. How could he? He absolutely was not going to pay Mike for a service that he didn't request. But he wasn't about to tell him that he wasn't going to pay. Though it pained him to admit it, he knew that he would have to call Kim for help.

"Later," Mike said as he walked off to one of the men's rooms.

Ron shut his locker door and took a deep breath as he leaned against it. He looked up at the ceiling and stood motionless for a few seconds. The silence was broken when he heard quiet laughter.

He turned to see the source of the laugh. To say that he was surprised at who he saw standing there would be an understatement. Camille was a few feet away from him holding a few of her own books in her arms.

Ron panicked. This was no ordinary female student of Middleton High School. This was Camille Leon. She was rich, famous, beautiful, and a whole lot of other adjectives Ron was too nervous to think of. In his moment of hysteria he blurted out the only thing he could think of.

"I used to have $99 Million!" he said quickly.

Camille gave him a strange look.

"What?" he asked.

"Not sure what that has to do with anything."

"Oh, right…" he said uneasily. "So, um, what's so funny?"

"What's funny is what I just saw," she told him. "You're going to let him treat you like that?"

"Um… I don't know," he said honestly.

She walked to stand right next to him. Ron felt a bit intimidated being this close to someone as famous and popular as Camille Leon.

"The name's Camille," she told him.

"I know who you are. Everyone does. You're pretty much famous worldwide."

"Yeah… good times. And who are you?"

"Ron. Ron Stoppable."

"Look Ron, you can't go through life being pushed around like that by people," she told him.

"Well what am I supposed to do?"

"Stand up for yourself maybe?"

"But how? He's huge."

"He's not going to do anything here at school."

"Right," he agreed. "But after school is a different story."

"What's his name?"

"We call him Big Mike."

"Okay, well Big Mike is a very bad person. He'll get what's coming to him."

Ron stood there dumbfounded. What she said didn't make any sense.

"I don't understand…" he admitted.

A tiny laugh escaped the lips of the heiress.

"It's like, so simple," she smirked. "The guy's got bad karma."

"Bad what now?"

"Karma. All of his bad actions are going to come back and bite him in the ass."

Ron couldn't hide the confused look on his face.

"So what you're telling me is that because he's a jerk that bad things will happen to him?"

"Absolutely," she nodded.

It was Ron's turn to laugh now. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Sorry, I don't really believe you."

"Go stand up for yourself. Fight him."

"Wait, fight him?"

"Yeah," she reassured him. "You know Ron, I've never seen a fight up close and stuff…"

Ron felt chills run through his body as Camille's fingers graced his shoulder.

"B-b-but… he'll kick my butt…" he stuttered.

"Maybe, maybe not," she said as she continued to make physical contact with his shoulder. "But what do you have to lose if he does?"

Ron thought about the question. In reality he had nothing to lose. He wasn't going to pay Mike. If he did nothing, he would get his ass kicked after school. If he took Camille's advice and stood up for himself now, he would still get his ass kicked. But at least if he stood up for himself he might gain some street credit. That was something he had been craving for a long time. And what better way to get it than to stand up to Big Mike?

Camille removed her hand from his shoulder. When she did, Ron's cloudy thoughts once more became clear. But it didn't last for long as he looked up into the icy blue eyes of the senior girl. His heart thumped wildly as he felt the urge to do something stupid and reckless to impress the beauty. And what was more foolish than to pick a fight with the biggest guy in the school?

"Okay, we'll… we'll try things your way," he managed to say. Right now his emotions and thoughts were in complete disarray. "You're right, it's not like I have anything to lose."

"Good boy. Now hurry, I'm sure he will be out soon."

Ron nodded hesitantly and made his way over to the bathroom. He paused for a moment before he went inside. He saw Mike near one of the sinks drying off his hands. Ron took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Um, Big Mike?" he said cautiously.

"What."

"I'm not paying you."

Mike crumpled up the brown paper towel and put it in the garbage can. Then he turned to face the teen hero.

"What?" he asked.

"I said…" Ron said as he tried to find more courage. "I said I'm not paying you anything."

Ron could have sworn that he heard the enormous young man snarl as he took a step toward him.

"I don't like people who skip out on their payments."

Ron's feet wanted to move so badly. He wanted to turn around and run. He had gotten good at it after a few years of helping Kim on missions. But for some reason his feet were firmly planted to the floor. He didn't budge as Mike stepped closer to him.

"I'm not paying you," he repeated a bit more confidently.

Despite Ron's new show of confidence, he knew that he was still terrified. His heart was beating as rapidly as it had been just a couple of minutes earlier when he was talking to Camille. His palms were sweaty and his face was hot. He may have been able to hide his fear from Mike, but he couldn't hide it from himself.

This time Ron was sure of it. The imposing giant's teeth were bared as he growled in anger. Ron knew that he would suffer for this decision. But since it was going to happen anyway, he decided that it was best to go out like this. He couldn't ask Kim for her help. He knew that now. That would just decimate his social standing even more. This was the only way.

Mike grabbed Ron by the front of his shirt and lifted him against the wall of the bathroom with one arm. He clenched his free hand into massive fist that was no doubt intended to teach Ron a lesson. Ron closed his eyes. The blow never came.

"Big Mike!" a harsh voice shouted.

Ron opened his eyes to see a familiar face standing in the bathroom. It was none other than the bane of his existence, Mr. Barkin.

By this point Mike had lowered both his fist and Ron to the floor. The colossal young man put his arms behind his back as if nothing had happened.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mr. Barkin roared.

"Uh… nothing." Mike lied.

"Wrong Michael. I know exactly what I saw," the assistant principal told him. "You just earned yourself a month of detention."

Mike simply lowered his eyes to the floor to avoid looking into the stern gaze of the man.

"And if I ever hear from Ron that you're messing with him again, you can be sure that I'll expel you on the spot. Are we clear?"

Mike nodded.

"Answer me."

"Yes Mr. Barkin."

"Good. Now get to class."

Big Mike did what he was told and left the bathroom. Mr. Barkin looked at Ron for a moment before turning and walking off to the American history class he was teaching next. Ron on the other hand just stood there in complete shock for a few seconds before coming to his senses. What had just happened? Mr. Barkin saved him? Not only that, but he had essentially made it so that Big Mike could never lay a hand on him again. He couldn't believe that it had actually worked.

He walked out of the bathroom to go find Camille. But she wasn't where she was standing before. Walking down the hall a bit more, he found her at her locker getting some books out for her next few classes. She turned when she saw him approaching her.

"So how'd it go?" she wondered.

"It worked," Ron said. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but it worked. It actually worked."

"See? Told ya."

"Yeah, you did. I don't understand why though."

"Karma, silly."

"Yeah… that stuff is still kinda out there for me."

She smiled and shook her head gently.

"You're a nice guy Ron, and you have good karma because of it. Good things are going to come your way. I'll be seeing you," she added with a suggestive smirk.

Camille turned and began walking down the hall. Ron watched her leave as she flipped her hair over her shoulder with her free hand. He stood there in disbelief as she disappeared into the crowd of students in the hall. Something wasn't right about what had just taken place.

"What the heck just happened there?" he asked himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron's mood had completely changed. He was feeling pretty happy when it came time to eat lunch. It was a time to socialize with friends, and sometimes even enjoy a decent meal. A decent meal of course was one you either brought from home or bought from a vending machine. Since he was in such a good mood, he had decided to reward his bravery with a bag of chips and a candy bar from the vending machine. It sure beat mystery meat. It also didn't cost a whole lot. He went over to the familiar table to take a seat beside Kim. She along with the other usual members of their table were already seated. They greeted him warmly.

"Hey Ron," Kim said.

"What's up KP," he smiled back.

"You seem pretty upbeat today. Care to share?"

"Sharing is caring."

"It is. So spill."

"It's not big, just something weird that happened before history," he explained.

"How weird are we talking? Pan-dimensional TV universe weird, or Bonnie acting nice weird?"

"I'd say a bit above the nice Bonnie scenario."

"Sounds juicy," Monique commented.

"Well, you know Camille?"

"Who doesn't?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, well, I think she was kind of flirting with me."

Kim and Monique, who were both in the middle of eating their food, choked a bit when they heard this.

"What? Camille? You? Seriously?" Kim said in shock.

Felix began laughing.

"Nice one Ron. You made it so Kim can only say one-word sentences."

Monique began to laugh as well, and both of them earned a dirty look from Kim.

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of weird too…" Ron trailed off.

"Okay, so what kind of stuff did she say?" Monique wondered.

"Uh, well she started the conversation. That's a first."

"Sad but true," Felix laughed again.

"Not helping dude!" Ron grinned.

By now everyone had a smile plastered on their face except for Kim.

"So wait, what did she do? What did she say?" Kim wondered.

"Well first she started talking to me about how I should stand up for myself. And when I did it actually worked."

"That doesn't sound too flirtish."

"No, but how about this…" he said as he gathered himself and prepared to imitate Camille. "She was all like, 'Good things are going to happen to you. I'll be seeing you'. And then she did this little wave thing."

"Wave thing?"

"Yeah. I guess you had to be there to see it. But it was all little and she was waving her fingers at me."

"Something's up," Monique said.

"Definitely," Felix added.

"You guys are crazy," Kim told them.

"Well either way it was weird," Ron said before he decided to change the subject. "Oh and by the way Kim, major props on the positivity after the whole Senior incident."

"Lousy Seniors…" Kim grumbled. "Wait, why am I mad at the Seniors?"

"The diamond."

"What diamond?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Looking into Kim's eyes, Ron could see that she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Now he was really worried. Despite how many times she had told him that she was fine the previous night, he had still gone to sleep worrying about his best friend. And now that she couldn't remember what had happened, his worry only grew.

"Oh man, you must have taken a worse hit to the head than I thought."

"Ron, scaring me," Kim said as she looked at him weirdly.

"You seriously don't remember last night's museum mission?" he asked.

"There wasn't a mission last night. I was home the whole night."

"No… that's not right. Call Wade."

"Seriously Ron, what's going on?"

"Kim, get Wade on the kimmunicator."

"Okay…" Kim said hesitantly.

She reached into her pocket and fished out the kimmunicator. Wade's face appeared on the screen when she turned it on.

"What's up Kim?" the young genius asked.

"Question Wade."

"Sure."

"Ron keeps talking about some museum mission from last night. Any idea what he's talking about?"

Wade began typing away rapidly on his keyboard as he searched for what Kim was talking about.

"Actually I do."

"Boo yah!" Ron shouted.

"Apparently there was a break-in at the Museum of Upperton last night. The Seniors stole the Tiffany Yellow Diamond only minutes after it arrived. And…" Wade suddenly stopped.

"And what Wade?" Kim wondered.

"Uh…" he trailed off. "Apparently you and Ron were there."

Kim blinked a few times as she looked at the kimmunicator in shock. Something wasn't right.

"Wade, like I told Ron, I was home last night."

"That's not what the official police report says."

"And what does the official police report say?"

"It says that you and Ron helped escort the diamond into the museum. After it was safely in its display case, the Seniors came and stole it, and you were injured."

"Injured?"

"Yeah Kim," Ron confirmed. "I found you in pretty bad shape on the museum floor. The Seniors fought you, got the diamond, and did some major poofage."

"I'm telling you, I wasn't there."

"Okay, then who was? There was a Kim with me last night."

"Think it was a Drakken clone?" she wondered. "I mean, he's done it before."

"This one actually spoke English. And had a personality."

"Freaky."

"I don't think it was a clone guys," Wade commented. "Unless the Seniors suddenly got into the cloning business. And if what Ron says is true, these clones would be a hundred times better than the ones Drakken made a couple years ago."

"So then, you think someone went all Clark Kent on us?"

"No way KP," Ron told her. "This was way too good to be a disguise. Whoever this girl was, I know she was real. I mean, I knew she was you, but now I know she's not you. Ya know?"

"I know."

"I think you guys should go check out the museum after school," Wade suggested.

"Couldn't agree more," Kim agreed. "And then after that we're checking out the Seniors island."

"By the way Wade, how's the satellite going?" Ron asked.

"What satellite?"

Kim moved the kimmunicator so only she could see Wade's face.

"You know Wade… _the satellite_," she said carefully.

Wade was silent for a few moments as he stared at Kim. But soon enough he knew what she was talking about.

"Oh, right. The satellite. Yeah, it's going, uh, well."

"Nice. I can't wait to see all it can do," Ron said.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Alright. I'll keep looking into the details of the heist. I'll contact you after school."

"Thanks Wade," Kim smiled.

The screen went blank as Wade ended the transmission. Kim put the device back in her pocket with a sigh.

"I've got to say, this is one of the weirder sitches we've encountered."

"For sure," Ron agreed. "So who or what do you think that Kim twin was?"

"One mystery at a time. First we see if the Seniors really do have the diamond, then we deal with me. Her. It. You know what I mean."

"I know," he smiled back.

"And by the way Ron, the Seniors? Seriously?" she asked.

"What?"

"You think that the Seniors could beat me?"

"I wasn't thinking about that when I saw you on the floor all unmovey."

"Oh… yeah. I guess that makes sense." She conceded. "But for future reference, the only person who could remotely stand a chance against me is Shego. Okay?"

"Noted."

"Well I gotta say, this has been one of the more interesting lunch periods we've had," Monique commented.

The four continued talking until lunch ended. Ron and Felix had delved into their own conversation about Zombie Mayhem, while Kim and Monique began talking about the upcoming sale at Club Banana. But neither of the two teen heroes had their minds fully devoted to their respective conversations. For Kim there were questions that needed to be answered. What had happened last night? Where did that diamond go, and who was the fake Kim? And then there was the question that hit closer to home. What exactly were Camille's intentions with Ron?

Ron's thought process was much simpler than Kim's. A lot of worry and stress had been relieved today. First there was the fact that Big Mike would no longer be messing with him. That definitely gave him a reason to smile. He also now knew that Kim wasn't injured at all. But the bigger thought on his mind was Camille. The very idea that a girl wasn't just making small talk with him, and her name wasn't Kim or Monique, excited him. He had never had a girlfriend before. Of course he wasn't about to jump to any conclusions and assume that Camille had such thoughts about him. But the fact that a beautiful girl had actually talked to him made him feel suddenly optimistic about life.

XXXXXXXXXX

Her peach yogurt was gone. Why did they have to put it in such small cups? It was like they wanted to tease you with something delicious, and then take it all away once you began to enjoy it.

Camille looked down into the empty cup, save a plastic spoon that was resting inside it. All around her there were cheerleaders chatting and gossiping about a bunch of trivial crap. Trivial in her mind at least. The fact that they all put so much stock into who was popular and who wasn't annoyed her. She could make or break any student at this school with little effort. Then they would either shower this new person with their attention, or shun them. It made no difference who they once were. With her influence, anyone could rise to the top of this stupid little "food chain". She was Camille Leon, if she wanted to bring back pink poof and call it retro, then tomorrow every girl would be clad in hot pink. And if she wanted to turn the food chain upside down, then it would be done. It would certainly upset a few people at this particular table.

Tara turned to the blond and noticed the expression on her face.

"What's wrong Camille?" she wondered.

Camille cast the thoughts out of her head and looked up.

"Being trapped in this school all day is like, so lame," she lamented.

"I know. But a lot of fun stuff goes on after school," Tara reassured her. An idea suddenly formed in the blond cheerleader's mind. "Camille, you should totally try out for the cheer squad!" she said excitedly.

The other girls immediately agreed and showed their approval for the idea.

"Don't cheerleaders like, sweat?" she asked.

"Well yeah, it's physical stuff."

"Sweating is so gross."

For a moment the table was silent. But sure enough, the other girls nodded in agreement with the opinion of the new girl.

"Well, I did do some gymnastics when I was younger…" Camille said as she thought back to her childhood.

"Great!" Tara smiled. "I know you have detention today, but we can set up a tryout for tomorrow after school. Bonnie is like, way influential in the squad."

Camille turned to face the brunette.

"Are you the captain?"

"No… that's Possible," she said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"So she's like, better than you or something?"

"No!" Bonnie shouted. "I don't know how little miss perfect got to be the captain again. She made me the captain back in freshman year. I really don't remember how she got it back."

The other girls cast their gazes down to the table. No one wanted to make eye contact with Bonnie when she was angry like this. Whenever Kim was brought up, and especially when it involved the cheer squad, Bonnie became a very unpleasant person to be around. Camille however was not intimidated by the infuriated brunette. It was actually quite the opposite.

"So if you're better than her why don't you prove it?"

"I did prove it!" Bonnie retorted. "We had a talent show last year that showed I was better."

"So you must have won, right?"

"No, I didn't win," she growled. "Stupid Stoppable won it with a bunch of crap he made up on the spot."

No one said a word as Camille continued to goad on the upset cheerleader.

"So… how exactly are you better than her?"

By this point Bonnie was ready to scream at the heiress. But instead she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was absolutely no way she was about to make a scene. There was no way she would let the memories of Kim and Ron get to her like this.

"I'll prove it tomorrow," she said as calmly as she could. "After your tryout, I'll challenge Kim to a little competition. And I'll prove once and for all that I should be the captain."

"Can't wait," Camille smiled.

The situation had by now cooled off, and the other cheerleaders felt comfortable enough to look into the eyes of their queen. The remainder of the period went by without incident. The girls simply went back to talking about hotties and losers. Camille stayed silent for the majority of this conversation. One could learn much when they listened a little.

XXXXXXXXXX

English class meant that the day was nearly over. It was the final class of the day, a class that many friends shared. Kim and Ron of course had the class together, as the only one they didn't have together this year was study hall. Bonnie sat surrounded by the familiar faces of cheerleaders, as well as Camille. The brunette sat there with a look of pure boredom on her face. Nothing was more boring to her than English literature. And Shakespeare was the worst of it. She couldn't understand why they didn't just translate it to words that normal people could understand. As far as she was concerned, no one wanted to read this stuff in old English.

The teacher, Ms. Gilmore, was busy lecturing the class on Othello, the play they were studying at the moment. Many of the students either had their heads lying on folded arms, or supported by a hand. Only a handful of students were actually paying attention. Kim happened to be one of them.

"So class, the end of the second scene of act two reveals more of Iago's plan," Ms. Gilmore said as she looked up from her book. "Does anyone have any thoughts on his motives and goals?"

She scanned the room looking for the slightest hint of interest in the question. Luckily for her, Kim was quick to raise her hand.

"I think he's despicable," she said. "All of this because he's so paranoid about Othello and Cassio sleeping with his wife? The guy has some major issues."

"That's right Kim. Almost everything he's done is based purely on his own paranoia. But we also can't forget about Iago being jealous that Othello promoted Cassio instead of himself."

Camille decided to raise her hand in order to share her opinion.

"Yes Camille?" the teacher asked.

"Personally, I think Iago is a genius," she stated.

"You what?" Kim asked in disbelief.

"Sure the guy might have 'some issues'," she said with air quotations. "But you can't say that it isn't a brilliant plan. The way he turns friends and even loved ones against each other is just so beautifully done. And of course the whole handkerchief-"

"I'm going to have to stop you there, Camille," Ms. Gilmore said. "While I think it's great you've decided to read ahead, let's not spoil it for the rest of the class."

"Sure."

"Um, you seriously enjoy all of the stuff that Iago is doing?" Kim asked.

"Well, yeah. How can't you?"

"Because he's a liar!" she said angrily. "He's a horrible person hiding under the guise of someone who's honest, someone who's true to his best friend."

"So you think that it's a horrible thing to lie to the people who trust you? To lie to your friends?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm… yeah. I guess it is. Friends should never lie to each other," she said as she smiled at the redheaded teen. "But you know what they say, 'Knavery's plain face is never seen till used'," she added with a quote from Othello.

Camille turned back to her book as Kim sat there looking at her. Camille couldn't read minds, but she knew exactly what the teen hero was thinking. It took a few moments, but Kim eventually turned and looked back at her own book.

"Well personally I'm just thrilled we're finally having a discussion," Ms. Gilmore said happily. "There's definitely been a different atmosphere in here the past couple of days."

Bonnie didn't know what had just happened, but something was off. No one won an academic debate with Kim. Well unless your name was Justine Flanner and it was a science class. But for someone to be able to shut Kim up in a discussion about Shakespeare was unheard of. And it was Camille of all people. Bonnie's admiration for the new girl had just greatly increased. But she simply had to know more about how Camille had done it. After tearing out about a quarter of a sheet of notebook paper, she began to hastily write a message on it.

She reached over to hand the note to the heiress, but Camille didn't accept it. She was still looking down at her copy of Othello. Bonnie had to get her attention. She made a quick whispering noise to try to get Camille to face her. But apparently the blond wasn't the only one who had heard it.

"Bonnie?" Ms. Gilmore asked.

"Uh…" the brunette said uneasily as she retracted her arm. "Yeah?"

"Passing notes in my class?"

"No Ms. Gilmore."

"I loved to pass notes when I was in high school too. So I'm curious about what yours says."

"It's nothing," Bonnie assured her.

"Oh no, please, I would really like to know. You can either read it aloud, or bring it up to me to read in private."

Bonnie exhaled deeply before standing and walking to the front of the class. She handed the folded piece of paper to Ms. Gilmore. As she went to sit back down at her desk, the teacher opened up the note and read its contents. When she was finished she looked back up at the class.

"Bonnie, please see me after class," she told the cheerleader.

"Yes Ms. Gilmore," Bonnie sighed.

Camille turned and looked at her friend.

"That sucks," she said.

Bonnie didn't answer immediately as she kept looking down at her desk.

"Yeah. It does," she eventually said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille glided into room twelve for another day of detention. Despite the circumstances, she had a cheerful smile on her face. It would be her final day of detention unless she did something to anger Mr. Barkin and get more. The regular detention duo of Vinny and Junior looked at her with bewilderment. How could someone possibly be so peppy about being in detention?

She sat down in the empty desk between the two boys. After shaking her hair out of her face, she turned to greet them.

"How are my boys?" she asked happily.

"Uh…" was all Vinny could think of to say.

"Why are you so happy?" Junior asked.

"No reason other than today has been a great day."

"Yeah but, you have detention and stuff," Vinny pointed out.

"Gotta look on the bright side," she told him.

"What bright side?"

The three turned to see the massive form of Big Mike enter the classroom. Mr. Barkin looked up from the papers on his desk to see the giant come in.

"Big Mike, why are you in here today?" the assistant principal wondered.

"Uh… you gave me a month of detention," Mike explained. "I was playing too rough with others."

Mr. Barkin thought for a few seconds about what Mike said. After a moment he nodded his head.

"Yes, that sounds like something I would do," he reasoned. "And you're in here all the time for that kind of thing. Some days it all just blurs together. Okay, take a seat."

The brute walked to the desks and took a seat next to Junior. He had arrived with about a minute to spare. The moment the clock hit 3:00, you were officially late. That was also when the room was to go silent. Camille looked at the second hand of the clock. Thirty seconds, twenty five, twenty. Her gaze was drawn to the door when she saw another person enter.

"Ms. Rockwaller, is detention the new 'in thing' for cheerleaders?" Mr. Barkin asked.

"No Mr. Barkin," she said as she moved to take a seat next to Camille.

She had arrived with fifteen seconds to spare. Mr. Barkin stood to close the door as he did every day. But instead of doing so, he stood at the doorway and looked to the class.

"Ms. Leon, could I please speak with you in my office?"

The denizens of room twelve let out a shared "ooohh" when they learned of Camille's fate.

"Whatever," the blond said nonchalantly.

She stood and walked toward the door. Mr. Barkin once more turned his attention to the class.

"This won't take long. I expect all of you to behave while I'm gone."

He waited for Camille to exit the room before he followed and closed the door.

The two walked silently down the hall toward his office. Once there Mr. Barkin went behind his desk and sat down. Camille took a seat across from the desk, and sat there twirling her hair around her finger with a rather annoyed look on her face. It didn't go unnoticed by the man.

"Ms. Leon, I suggest you show me some respect while you're on school property," he told her.

"So like, that means I can disrespect you once school is over or something?"

Mr. Barkin closed his eyes took a deep breath. When he opened them he cast a stern look into the blond teen's eyes.

"Ms. Leon, do you think that just because you have money that you can screw the rules?" he asked.

Camille stopped playing with her hair and returned the look to the assistant principal.

"Uh, yeah?" she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well I hate to tell you, but that's not how things work around here. You had better get your act together, or else you'll find yourself suspended in no time. And I don't care how much money you have. You will follow the rules of this school, and you will show me respect. Are we clear?"

"Yah," she said vapidly.

Normally Mr. Barkin would demand a better response from his students. But he knew Camille's reputation. He knew that she wasn't the brightest bulb in the room. As long as she looked him in the eye and answered his question, that was good enough for him in this case. He stood and walked to his office door.

"Good. I won't expect to see you in detention after today," he said as he opened the door.

"Totally," she agreed.

The two walked back toward room twelve. Mr. Barkin took the lead, with Camille following a few steps behind. Her eyes were focused on the back of his head the entire way.


	4. Bring It On

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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"_This isn't a democracy, it's a cheerocracy." _

_~Torrance Shipman_

XXXXXXXXXX

School had ended, and Kim was determined to get to the bottom of this latest situation. This was personal. It was more than just a super villain, more than just a missing diamond. They had used her very image to do it. Her reputation would no doubt be tarnished if this couldn't be cleared up. That was not something she was comfortable with. She had to figure out what had happened, and bring the thieves to justice.

Their first stop would be the Museum of Upperton. Luckily, Wade was able to hook them up with a ride that picked them up as soon as they got out of class. Mrs. Mahoney had once again been available to drive them to their mission. She found it hard to believe that it had been so many years since the kind woman had given her a ride to her first mission. She also had a very strange feeling when she thought back to that mission to save Mr. Paisley and his Cuddle Buddies.

Right now they were sitting in the back seat of Mrs. Mahoney's car. The trip had been enjoyable so far as the three chatted about the many adventures Kim and Ron had been on. But now the topic had switched to the upcoming mission.

"So this is about the diamond I heard about on the news?" Mrs. Mahoney asked.

"Yeah. Something's not right at all about this sitch," Kim replied.

"Yeah. There are clones," Ron pointed out.

"We don't know if they're clones yet."

"What else could it be?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

"Clones… why is it always clones…" he grumbled.

"Clones are actually pretty uncommon for us," Kim pointed out.

"You'd think that these super villains could come up with something new. You know like, things with personality that aren't clones."

"Like Drakken's Bebes?"

"I don't know. You think it was a robot? A Kimbot?"

"I would hope not…" she said with a frown. "Imagine the damage Drakken or the Seniors could do with something that looked and talked like me."

"Getting some definite bad thoughts there, KP," Ron agreed.

"Well you two just be careful," Mrs. Mahoney told them. "I would hate to see the two of you getting injured on one of these dangerous missions of yours."

"So not the drama," Kim said casually. "These super villains are so easy. This one is just a bit different than the others."

The car slowed to a halt outside of the museum. Before getting out, Kim turned to her driver.

"Thanks again for the ride, Mrs. Mahoney," she smiled.

"It's no problem, Kim. Good luck on getting that diamond back."

"Thanks."

The two teens exited the car and began walking up the steps to the front doors. As they neared it they saw a police officer standing guard at the door. They slowed down as they neared the entrance and looked at the officer to see what they should do. The man stepped aside with a smile.

"It's good to see you here, Ms. Possible," he said.

"Thank you sir. We're going to get to the bottom of this theft."

"I have no doubts."

Kim opened the door and the two went inside to find Dr. Burton. Of course, Kim had never met the man before, but she had learned about him earlier from Ron. She also had no idea where the exhibit was located, and was relying on Ron to lead the way. He did so with great pride, and went straight for the exhibit. When they arrived they saw the doctor along with a number of police personnel around the shattered display case. When the old man caught sight of them he smiled and made his way over to the teen heroes.

"Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable, it's wonderful to see you again," he greeted warmly. "Though I only wish it were under different circumstances."

"Dr. Burton, there's something you should know," Kim said.

"Have you discovered any new information as to the whereabouts of the Seniors?"

"Not exactly… you see, it's about me."

"Oh? I'm all ears."

Kim stood there uneasily. She didn't know how he would react to the news. But she had to tell him. It wasn't like she had done anything wrong.

"You see, um, I wasn't here last night. It was an imposter."

The man gave her quizzical look. Kim bit her bottom lip as she knew that she had to go into more detail.

"The girl you saw here last night… that wasn't me. I was home all night. Whoever it was, whatever it was, it was an imposter. And she was probably the one who stole the diamond."

The look remained on Dr. Burton's face as he gently shook his head a few times before speaking once more.

"That just isn't possible. For one, there's no way anyone could have made a duplicate of you."

"Actually, I have been cloned before. It wasn't pretty."

"Regardless, we have spoken to the security guards who were on duty last night. Both of them said that they were attacked by Junior."

"That may be true, but whatever was with him was a clone, or a robot, or something that wasn't me," she repeated.

"I see…" the man said thoughtfully. "This news is most disturbing."

"Yeah…"

A light went off in Ron's head. He slowly turned to face Kim as she and the old man continued chatting. In a flash, he lashed out with a hand and grabbed Kim's arm and spun her to face him. The look of surprise on the redhead's face did nothing to make Ron loosen his grip.

"How do we know you're not a freaky robot cyborg clone twin!" he said accusingly.

Once Kim had recovered from the shock of Ron's outburst, she smiled and placed her free hand on his shoulder.

"Ron, I'm definitely the real Kim. Ask me anything that only I would know."

He let go of her arm and took a step back as he thought about a question to ask. After a few seconds he looked back up at his best friend.

"Okay Kim, if that is your real name," he said. "What was the name of your pet hamster that you got in second grade!"

A look of confusion spread on her face for a moment before she answered.

"Ron, I never had a pet hamster in second grade. I've never had a hamster at all. In fact, I've never even had a pet in my life."

Ron looked into her eyes searching for any signs that she could indeed be an imposter. After a few moments he nodded a few times and accepted her answer.

"Okay, so you're right. But this proves nothing!"

"Amp down the drama," she told her best friend. "How about this? I got jealous of you when we worked at Bueno Nacho because you were so good at it. And then after we saved Wisconsin, you bought me the green jacket I wanted so much."

He thought about this for a few moments before a smile appeared on his face. Apparently this was good enough.

"Good to have you back, Kim," he said warmly.

"Good to be back. Or rather, be here for the first time."

"Excuse me, but could we get back to the missing diamond?" Dr. Burton interjected.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Dr. Burton," Kim said.

"With this new information it is even more imperative that we find out who is responsible for last night's theft. Every jewel or piece of art in the world could potentially be at risk now."

"You're right. And now that we know that the security guards saw Junior, we had better get to their island and check it out."

"Wait, you know the location of their island?"

"Well yeah. Doesn't everyone?"

"No. If we did we would have gone there by now."

"Oh… wow," was all Kim could think to say.

"You would think people would know this stuff," Ron said. "I always thought it was kind of weird they relied on us."

"We'll worry about that later. Right now we have to go see the Seniors."

"Right."

Kim whipped out her kimmunicator and activated it to see Wade's face on the screen.

"How's it going?" the young genius asked.

"We have a conformation about the Seniors. Now we need a ride to their island."

"Okay. I'll set you up with a G.J. hoverjet to pick you up outside the museum."

"Negative on the museum, Wade," Kim said.

"Why's that?"

"We need to go home and change into something a bit more break and enterish," the young heroine said as she pointed out her street clothes.

"Oh, right. I'll set it up so the ride gets to your house in a half hour. That should give you enough time to get home and change."

"Sounds good Wade. Talk to you later."

The screen went blank, and she put the device back in her pocket.

"It was nice to meet you," Kim said as she shook Dr. Burton's hand. "And don't worry, we'll get this all straightened out."

"Thank you, Ms. Possible."

The two teens turned and began walking back towards the entrance. Ron turned to look at Kim to see that she had a look of concern on her face. He had a big smile on his own as he put an arm around her. She turned to see him looking at her.

"See, that wasn't so bad," he said happily.

"I guess…"

"You guess? He wasn't mad at all. He was unmad."

"You're right. It could have been a lot worse."

"That's the Kim I know. Look on the bright side, the glass is half full. Puppies and rainbows and unicorns, and all that good stuff."

This got a small laugh out of Kim as the two exited the building and started down the steps.

"Thanks Ron. You always know how to cheer me up."

"All part of the job description, KP."

She smiled as she nodded. She didn't know where she would be without him. He was always so cheerful, so optimistic. And he helped her out on missions more than he could know. He was always there with her on the long flights to remote jungles and snowy mountains. He didn't only help her on missions, he made them bearable for her. When he was with her, the missions were fun. They were like a game. Without him, they would probably feel like a job. She didn't want to think about that.

As they neared Mrs. Mahoney's car she turned to him once more.

"Okay, so we go back to my place and change. We'll have about ten minutes before the G.J. jet gets to my house. We can strategize with Wade on the way there."

"Sounds good."

She opened the door and the two climbed in the car. As it drove back toward Middleton, she continued to think about what the Seniors could possibly have up their sleeves.

XXXXXXXXXX

Getting to the Seniors island had been the easy part. Wade had set them up with another ride which would take them to the distant location which wasn't on any map. Luckily Kim knew how to get there from her previous encounters with the villainous duo. The plan was simple. They would fly to the island and parachute down to the rocky beaches which surrounded the private estate. Then the true work would begin.

Thanks to Ron's words of wisdom from a couple of years earlier, the Seniors island was nothing less than a fortress. There had always been high walls covered with barbed wire. But now thanks to him there was so much more. Lasers, missiles, piranhas, and of course, spinning tops of doom. Kim hadn't liked her previous encounter with the destructive devices. She was sure that she would see them again if they encountered trouble.

The pair of teen heroes crept alongside the wall trying to evade the bright search lights that were scanning the perimeter. They had to make sudden stops and starts on numerous occasions to avoid being detected. When they had reached a point she deemed worthy, they took out their hairdryer grappling guns and pointed them toward the top of the wall. After making sure the lines were secure, the two scaled the wall and were careful not to get caught up in the barbed wire atop it. Once they were down they made their way to the residence of the super villains.

It never ceased to amaze her how the villains used ventilation systems large enough to fit a grown person inside. Did they not realize that the air didn't care how large or small the shafts were? All this did was make them more vulnerable to her sneaking inside. Of course she would never tell them this, as it would only make her job harder. The two teens crawled through the shaft and dropped down into the lair of the Seniors.

As soon as they landed Kim looked around to see if anyone was there to try to stop her. She saw no one in the room with her except Ron. So far so good. She motioned for Ron to come with her as they crept down the halls of the lair to what she remembered was his main control room. If he was plotting something, surely this would be where he was. She wasn't disappointed.

The two peered around a corner to see the two villains. Senior Sr. was pacing back and forth talking about something involving world domination. At least this time he didn't have a book in his hands telling him how to do it. Junior on the other hand was sitting at a table reading a magazine of some kind. If Kim didn't know any better, she would have said that this was just Dr. Drakken and Shego in disguise. But since it wasn't, she would have no problem stepping forward and confronting the villains for their crime.

"Senor Senior Sr. and Jr.," she said as she stepped into view of the two villains. "You two are under arrest for your little diamond heist at the Museum of Upperton."

The elderly man calmly turned to face the new arrival. Junior on the other hand wasn't so composed, as he yelped when he heard Kim's voice.

"Ah, Kim Possible, and her friend Ron Stoppable," Senior Sr. said serenely. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"You know what you did. Hand it over and it will save a lot of pain on your part."

"But my dear, I have no idea what you're talking about. What is it that you said I stole?"

"I believe she said something about a diamond, father," Junior said with disinterest.

"Ah yes, a diamond. Which particular diamond are we discussing?"

Kim blinked a couple of times. Normally a villain would be gloating about their theft or telling her how she wasn't going to stop him this time. Something seemed off here. But she continued anyway.

"You stole the Tiffany Yellow Diamond from the Museum of Upperton."

Senior tilted his head down and rubbed his chin in deep thought. After a few moments he returned his gaze to the redheaded teen.

"I must apologize Ms. Possible, I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about. I did not steal any such diamond. And even if I did want to, I would not steal such a small stone."

"Small stone?" Ron asked with amazement.

"Of course. While the Tiffany Yellow Diamond is a marvelous gem, it pales in comparison to the Golden Jubilee Diamond."

"Don't play dumb with me," Kim said. "The guards specifically said they saw Junior break into their security room and knock them out."

"They said that my son was responsible for knocking them unconscious?"

Kim, Ron, and Senior all turned to look at Junior sitting at the table. He had an index finger in his ear trying to accomplish something that none of them wished to learn more about. After a few moments he noticed that they were all staring at him. He took his finger out of his ear and looked back at them.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah… they said it was him…" Kim said uneasily.

"May I ask when this supposed robbery took place?" Senior wondered.

"Last night."

"Ms. Possible, I can assure you that we were not in Upperton last night. The two of us in fact have alibis. We were both attending a formal meeting of the Billionaire's Club in Vienna."

"Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that."

"I am being very serious. I do not joke or lie when it comes to my villainous activities. I know that statement might sound strange, but I take pride in everything I do. If I were to steal this diamond, you would be sure to know that I did it."

"Let's say I do believe you. Can you prove this alibi?"

"If you will not take my word for it, contact your computer specialist. He can access the guest list and security footage of the banquet hall in Vienna to prove that we were in fact there."

Kim reached down into her pocket and brought out her kimmunicator. Wade appeared on the screen with a drink in his hand.

"What's up Kim?" he asked.

"Wade, weird request here. But if anyone can do it you can."

"Try me."

"Senior Sr. said that he and Junior were at some Billionaire's Club meeting in Vienna last night during the diamond theft. Can you access the guest list and security footage to see if they're there?"

"Well Kim, a search that specific to find the exact footage we're looking for would take- got it."

Wade uploaded the footage to the screen of the kimmunicator. Ron stood behind her looking at video, while Senior Sr. stood a few feet in front of her. On the screen they saw a beautifully decorated and ornate room filled with all kinds of expensive looking sculptures and paintings. Everything else seemed to be trimmed in gold. There was no doubt in her mind that it was all real. Tables of gourmet food and waiters stood around the large, round central table. There were approximately a dozen people seated at it, and each looked as wealthy as Senior Sr. did. And sure enough, there he was sitting next to Junior. There was no sound on the footage, but it was clear that Senior Sr. was talking at the moment. Junior on the other hand just had a bored look on his face as he propped his head up with one of his hands. After watching it for a few seconds, Kim shut off the video. She looked back up at the elderly billionaire.

"Did the video footage satisfy you?" he wondered.

Kim let out a disappointed sigh before she answered.

"Yeah… that's good enough for me."

A beaming smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Wonderful! Well now that this is settled, would you two be interested in a beverage or snack of any kind?"

"Snacks? Seriously? We can get something to eat?" Ron wondered.

"Of course. You two are my guests. Although you are trespassing and broke in illegally, you are still guests."

"This is… beyond weird," Kim said.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Why aren't you trying to capture us? Shouldn't you be releasing the hounds, or the spinning tops of doom or something?"

"My friend, we are 'off the clock' so to speak," Senior explained. "We are not currently performing any kinds of illegal deeds. Therefore you have no reason to stop us, and we have no reason to fight. It would be poor super villain form to engage you without the fate of the world at stake."

"So, you're just going to let us go?"

"Of course. The book made it very clear that we should only attempt to dispatch you when there is an evil plot in motion. Right now I am just your average multi-billionaire."

"Nothing average about you…" Kim said under her breath.

"Father, I do believe this Ron person wants a snack," Junior said. "Do we have any more of the snickerdoodles?"

Kim and Senior Sr. turned to see Ron shifting his feet a bit uneasily. Apparently the mention of food had caused him to become visually hungry. He gazed into Kim's eyes with a look of longing on his face. It wasn't a full-blown puppy dog pout yet, but they were bordering on dangerous levels.

"Sorry Senior Sr., but we don't have time for snacks. We have to get back on the trail of whoever stole this diamond."

"Ah, what a pity," Senior said genuinely. "I do hope we can meet once again outside the context of this whole hero and villain game. Maybe then we can discuss more about low flow toilets and the like."

"Toilets, right," Kim said as she apparently didn't remember their discussion about saving energy and resources. "Well, we had better get going."

The two teens turned and began walking to the exit before Kim stopped and turned. She knew that she already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to ask anyway.

"By the way, have you been experimenting with any kind of humanoid robotic technology lately?" she asked. "You know, since you said you take pride in all of your villainous schemes and stuff."

Senior shook his head at the question.

"No, I am afraid that robots are not my area of expertise. After the whole pizza party robot debacle that Junior came up with, I have decided to stay away from the whole field."

A tiny smile formed on Kim's face and she let out a quiet laugh as she remembered the incident with the robotic animals and disco ball.

"Yeah, that's what I figured. Well, thanks for your time. Sorry for the whole breaking in thing."

"Think nothing of it my dear. I do look forward to meeting you again under more normal circumstances. Until then, Junior and I have evil plans to create. Take care of yourselves."

The two teens smiled and waved at the man before turning once more and walking away. As they exited, a smile formed on Ron's face as he shook his head gently. Only in this line of work would travelling around the world stopping super villains be considered "normal circumstances". What was even more amazing was how seriously the Seniors took the whole world domination game. They really did play by the book, which was ironic for people who were super criminals. Someone like Monkey Fist or Dr. Drakken would have tried to capture and eliminate them without a second thought. But the Seniors were true gentlemen. They not only didn't attack Kim and him, but actually offered them food. He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

The laughter didn't go unnoticed by Kim. She turned to him with a look of curiosity on her face.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing, everything," he replied. "Just them. It's funny how they're so evil, yet so good at the same time. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. And it wouldn't have happened had you not mentioned that their mansion looked like a lair."

"Well it did. You can't deny that it did."

"Yeah, but you don't go around saying that kind of thing to bored old billionaires."

"How was I supposed to know he would go all evil and stuff?"

"You didn't," she sighed. "And I shouldn't be getting on you for them turning into villains. Sorry about that."

"No worries KP," he said before deciding to change the subject. "So what now? What's the next lead for the Kimbot?"

"If it even is a robot. I'm really having my doubts that it is."

"Okay, Kim clone, whatever. The question's still the same though, what's next?"

"Right now I have no clue. We can talk to Wade on the way home about any possible leads."

"Good enough for me."

The teens walked to the coast and sat there while they waited for their ride. It wouldn't be there for probably a half hour, so they had lots of time to talk and speculate about just what had happened in Upperton. But it only took a couple of minutes for the conversation to shift to school and the people who attended it. Two people in particular were the main topics of discussion.

XXXXXXXXXX

There were no other leads. After getting back from the Seniors island, Kim and Wade talked for almost a half hour about what they had learned by talking to Dr. Burton and the Seniors. It made no sense. The guards said that they saw Junior, but Junior clearly had an alibi. Wade had checked into the video footage himself. There was no forgery, no tampering. Everything about it was legit. But if the Seniors had nothing to do with it, then who was behind it all?

These were the things which were on Kim's mind as she sat in American history class the following day. Normally she would be paying attention to Mr. Barkin's lecture and taking notes regardless of how boring it all was. History was definitely not her favorite subject. The fact that Mr. Barkin was teaching it didn't help either. But today rather than paying attention, she let her mind wander as she pondered one of the weirdest situations that she had yet encountered. And considering all of the strange missions she had been on over the years, that was saying something.

They were wrapping up the chapter on the Great Depression. Mr. Barkin announced that tomorrow they would be having a test on it. Next week they would be beginning World War Two. She heard these announcements but didn't even bother writing them down anywhere to remind herself of them. All she could think about was the thing that had not only stolen her image, but had tarnished it as well. The worst part about it was that she, Ron and Wade had absolutely no idea where to go next. All they could do is sit back and wait for the next heist, if there even was a next heist.

She was stirred from her daydreaming when she heard her name being called on.

"Ms. Possible?"

She looked up at her instructor and blinked her eyes a couple of times as the thoughts were cleared from her mind.

"Yes Mr. Barkin?" she asked.

"I said, what is the term for the acronyms and abbreviations for the agencies which were created as a part of the New Deal?"

"Oh, um…" Kim said as she thought for a moment. "Alphabet soup."

Mr. Barkin locked eyes with the teen for a second before responding.

"That's correct," he said as he turned his head to find another target for his questions.

Ron turned and gave her a curious look. It wasn't like her to be caught by surprise by one of Mr. Barkin's questions. She understood the look he was giving her. They both knew that they couldn't talk at the moment. She mouthed the word "later" to him before turning back to the front of the classroom where Mr. Barkin was writing something on the white board.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later came during lunch. Not only was it the ideal time to socialize, but it was also the next period that Kim and Ron shared after American history. After sitting down with a tray full of mystery meat, Kim turned to Ron who was already half finished with his own meal.

"Someone's hungry," she commented.

Ron put down his sandwich and swallowed what was in his mouth. He had again decided to forsake the mystery meat, and instead had brought food from home. He decided that it was better this way. There was no point in eating the slop this school called food. Most of the time he didn't even eat it, but instead poked at it with his fork. At least this way he got to enjoy a meal while he was stuck in school.

"Oh yeah, starving," he agreed.

"I can't say the same for myself," she said looking down dejectedly at her mystery meat.

"Brown paper bag, Kimbo," he said pointing to the bag which had once contained his lunch.

"I probably should start…"

"Yeah. So what was up with you in history class?"

"The mission."

"Don't let the Seniors get to you. I know they seem nice and all, but we know better."

"Not that mission. The other one."

"Oh…" Ron said thoughtfully. "Yeah, still no leads I take it?"

"Nothing. It's really throwing me off my game."

"That's why you were distracted in Mr. B's class?"

"I guess."

"You can't let it get to you outside the mission, Kim," he told her. "Maybe the Seniors have the right idea about all this. Only go into mission mode when there's a mission. You're off the clock right now, as he said."

Kim emitted a small growl in response.

"I know this is personal and all, but right now there's nothing you can do about it. Until we hear from Wade or find a new clue, just try not to think about it."

"Spoken like a true Stoic," Kim smiled.

"A true what now?"

Monique spoke up before Kim could explain.

"So Kim, have you heard the latest news about Bonnie?" she asked.

"Can't say that I have."

"She's holding a cheer squad tryout for Camille after school."

"What? Since when?" she said as a puzzled look spread on her face.

"Apparently the squad decided yesterday."

"And they didn't even bother running it by me? What's the point of having a captain then?"

"Don't know. But it's happening today during practice."

"This should be hilarious," Kim smirked.

"Why's that?"

"We get to watch that talentless bimbo make a fool of herself trying to be a cheerleader."

"What's with the Camille hate?" Ron wondered.

"You've seen her on TV, Ron," Kim said. "You remember her on 'The Plain Life', right?"

"Oh yeah, her and her friend. What about it?"

"She could barely survive without all her money and clothes. Do you think she can do anything for herself? Or that she has any skills, especially athletic skills?"

"I don't know, but maybe we shouldn't be judging her so fast. I mean we barely know her."

"Still thinking about the supposed flirting, aren't you?" Felix asked.

"No!" Ron said a bit too forcefully. "I mean, no. It's just that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that stuff."

"She's all cover, Ron," Monique pointed out. "No book to read."

The comment earned laughter from both Kim and Felix. A small frown crept onto Ron's face.

"Oh lighten up, we're just having some fun," Felix said. "It's not like we hate the girl or anything."

"I know," Ron said. "But still, she was nice to me. Until she proves otherwise, I'll stick to saying she's alright."

"That's fair I guess."

"That won't stop me from laughing when she epically fails during the tryout," Monique grinned.

"Half the school will probably be in the bleachers watching,"

"One way or another it's going to be an interesting experience."

As Felix and Monique continued to speculate on what would happen after school, Ron remained silent for the most part. He would be there for sure, as it was his duty as the mascot to take part in the cheer practices. And of course Kim would be there to lead the practice. He couldn't help but root for Camille though. Yesterday she had reached out to help him. He would try to do the same for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

The final class of Thursday. That meant there was only one day left before the weekend. For Ron that meant things couldn't get any better. Well, unless it was the last class of Friday. But he didn't want to bother himself with the insignificant details. He decided that he was just going to be happy about it.

He took his seat upon entering the classroom. After he sat down he grabbed his copy of Othello and began skimming through it. He had done his homework this time. Where he normally hated anything that had to do with English and reading, he was surprised that he was actually sort of enjoying the play. It wasn't some boring novel like he had been forced to read in his previous years of high school. The fact that it was much shorter than a novel helped. So distracted was he while he was going back and brushing up on the details that he didn't notice the person who sat down to his left.

"Hey Ron," the female voice said.

Ron turned to greet the newcomer, expecting it to be Tara or another of the cheerleaders. He knew by the voice that it wasn't Kim or Monique. But it wasn't until he actually looked at who had spoken that he realized who it was. Who he saw surprised him.

Bleached blonde hair framed the face of Camille as she looked into his eyes. He couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of a smirk on her face. He didn't know if she was doing it intentionally. He didn't know if she knew that he noticed. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he realized that he was rambling in his mind. He hadn't even said anything back yet.

"Oh, um, hi Camille," he finally said.

"How have you been?"

"Pretty good I guess."

"No more Big Mike trouble I take it?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty quiet," he explained. "He hasn't even looked me in the eye all day. I still can't believe what happened in the bathroom yesterday."

"Why not?"

"Because, well, it was all just so perfect. Like it was meant to be or something."

"Meant to be?"

"Yeah. First Big Mike beats up a couple of jocks who were giving me a hard time. Then he gets in trouble and can't touch me without getting expelled. Everything is just working out for me, and Kim didn't have to get involved at all."

"You do that world saving thingy right?" she wondered.

"Yeah, Kim and me do that all the time."

"See, this is just the universe repaying you for all of the good works you've done. Don't be so surprised to see things going your way. You've earned it."

Ron tried to hide his smile as he looked down at his desk. But with Camille still looking at him there was no way she didn't notice. Giving up on the effort, he looked back up into her eyes.

"Wow, thanks Camille," he said genuinely.

She reached over and placed a hand on top of one of his own resting on his desk. His heart suddenly began thumping and his eyes widened at the physical contact. She just gave him another gentle smile.

"You're welcome Ron," she replied just as sincerely. "Remember that it's what's on the inside that counts. A lot of people might pick on you because of what they see, but they don't know the real you."

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly. He still couldn't get over the fact that her hand was touching his.

As quickly as her touch had come it had gone. Without warning Camille pulled her arm back to herself. Ron was still in his daze and didn't see that his best friend had taken a seat to his right.

Kim looked over to him and waited a few seconds. He hadn't moved.

"Ron?"

There was no answer.

The redhead waved her arm in front of his eyes for a couple of seconds before he snapped out of it. He blinked a few times and turned to look at her. A bemused smile was spread on her face as she stared at him.

"You okay Ron?" she asked.

Ron let out a soft chuckle as a smile of his own formed on his face.

"KP, I can honestly say that I'm doing great."

"Glad to hear it. So did you do the homework?"

"I did. I actually did. Can you believe it?"

"I can. I didn't call you 'potential boy' for nothing."

"Hah, yeah. Good times…" he said as he thought back to having a super-intelligent naked mole rat as a pet. "I wonder if they're going to make another one of those things…"

"Why, didn't learn your lesson from last time?" she joked.

"You can't say that Rufus being the smartest creature in the world wasn't cool."

"Okay, in retrospect it was kind of cool," she admitted.

As they continued chatting, Ms. Gilmore stepped into the room and closed the door. The bell rang a few seconds later. After grabbing her teacher's edition book off of her desk, she stepped to the front of the classroom and greeted the students.

"Okay class, your assignment for today was to read scene three of act two and do the worksheet for it. Please send your papers to the front of the class, and remember to put your names on them."

The students did as they were told, and soon enough the front desks of each row had collected all of the worksheets. After putting them in a pile on her desk, Ms. Gilmore turned back to the class and opened her book.

"Okay. So, who would like to share any thoughts or opinions on the latest phase of Iago's plan…"

XXXXXXXXXX

The gymnasium was unusually crowded. Normally after school was over the building was desolate and barren. But not today. Dozens of students had gathered on the bleachers in the gym to watch what they had heard from the latest gossip. If it was true the Camille Leon was trying out for the cheer squad, then there were a number of reasons people wanted to show up and watch. Her admirers wanted to cheer her on and see her succeed. Her haters wanted to laugh at her failure and humiliation. And others were required to be there because they were actually on the squad. Kim was one of them.

She peeked outside the door of the girl's locker room and saw the mass of students on the bleachers. A frown spread across her face upon seeing them. She didn't have a problem performing in front of a crowd. On the contrary she thrived in the spotlight. But she didn't want it to be like this. She wanted people to be there to cheer for the squad, not for some celebrity whose only claim to fame was being wealthy. She turned and walked back into the middle of the room where the rest of her squad waited for the word to go out there. Camille was among them.

"So like, can we go yet?" Hope asked her captain.

"Not yet," Kim told her.

"Why not? We're all ready," Jessica wondered. "I wanna see what she can do."

"Leave it to Kim to be a dictator," Bonnie spat.

"Oh, hi Bonnie, I didn't see you there," Kim said. "I thought you would be in detention. Seemed like it was your new thing."

The rest of the squad members began snickering at the barbed comment. A moment later they were silenced when Bonnie turned and glared at them. But as soon as she had turned her back to them, they all looked at each other with smirks on their faces.

"Whatever," she said brushing off the insult the best she could. "I still can't believe you're making Camille dress up in her P.E. uniform instead of giving her one of our spare outfits."

"She's not a cheerleader, Bee."

"The squad unanimously voted on her being able to wear it, Kay."

"And as the captain I overruled that vote. She has to earn the cheer outfit."

"See, dictator."

"That's enough, Bonnie," she said before turning her attention back to the rest of the girls. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. We're going to go out there, and test her on a few of the basic moves. If she does well, we'll see if she has the spirit to cheer with the rest of us. If she can do both, she can join the squad."

"Piece of cake," Camille said nonchalantly.

"You should be taking this a bit more seriously, Camille."

The heiress merely smirked as she gazed into Kim's eyes. The teen hero sighed with a slight shake of her head when she realized that her advice had fallen upon deaf ears.

"Alright then, let's go," Kim decided.

The group of girls exited their locker room and walked into the gymnasium. When they appeared, the students seated in the bleachers slowly began to stop talking as they turned their attention to the cheerleaders. A number of mats were placed in the center of the large room. Normally they were there to be used by the whole squad during their practice. But today they were going to be used primarily by one girl.

Ron was sitting in the front row with his own uniform on and his Mad Dog head at his side. He wasn't used to there being this many people here to watch during practice. While he wasn't nervous at the prospect of performing in front of them, he took some relief in knowing that he didn't have to. Today wasn't about him, it was about Camille.

The wealthy young woman stepped onto the mats and began stretching herself out in preparation for her upcoming trials. Every so often she would look up at her audience, and smiled on both the outside and inside knowing how many people here adored her. But she was no fool, and she knew that a number of them hated her as well. She already knew that Kim was probably one of them. She along with some of the people seated on the bleachers wanted her to fail.

Camille's smile grew. She was so sorry that she would have to disappoint all the haters.

After she was finished stretching she walked over to where Kim and the rest of the squad were standing to get her instructions.

"Okay so like, what's first?" she asked.

Kim hesitated for a moment. Despite how much she wanted to see this airheaded girl fail, part of her felt bad at the same time. Kim wasn't a mean person. She didn't want to hurt others. But she reasoned that this was for Camille's own good. She had to know her limits, and not be so arrogant. She had to learn that the world didn't exist to serve her. She had to learn a little humility.

"Okay Camille, let's start off with something simple," she said. "How about just a cartwheel?"

"Sure."

Camille took a few steps onto the mats and stopped. Taking a breath, she raised her arms into the air. A moment later she was in motion, and had performed a flawless cartwheel. Most of her audience, as well as the cheerleaders applauded her for it. She walked back over to Kim for her next test.

"What's next?"

"Wow, I have to say Camille, I'm impressed," Kim admitted. "Okay, next you'll do a standing handspring back-tuck."

"Works for me."

Kim was surprised that she even knew what that was. The blond girl once more walked to the mats. She proceeded to do a back handspring before performing a clean back-flip, and once again landed on her feet.

The crowd once more roared with approval. The loudest of the cheers came from the cheerleaders, but two of them were quieter than the others. Camille again walked back to her friends and awaited her next assignment.

"Okay, that was really good," Kim told her. "Front handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, layout."

Kim suspected there was no way she could pull this off.

Camille didn't answer this time, but rather gave Kim another smile. This one was a bit more chilling to the redhead. As she had done two times before, she walked to the mats to show her moves.

Taking a small bouncing step forward, Camille raised her arms and performed the numerous handsprings and cartwheels necessary to complete her task. When she was finished, she landed gracefully on her feet.

The students were at their loudest after this action, and Camille took a slight bow before walking happily to where Kim was standing. The squad members, save Kim and Bonnie, came out and gave her congratulatory hugs.

"That was amazing!" Tara gushed.

"I had no idea you could do that!" Marcella raved.

Kim walked over to her with a genuine smile on her face. How could she be upset at this? It turned out that Camille was more than just a pretty face with money. She had some real talent.

"Okay, I was totally wrong about you," she told the blond. "If you can do moves like that, you're totally on the squad."

The girls continued celebrating as Bonnie walked over and stood next to Kim. Everything was happening so fast that she forgot about issuing her challenge to Kim. She had bigger concerns now.

"Um, Kim? You said she would have to do a cheer too. You know, to show her school spirit?"

"Who cares about the cheer Bonnie, did you see that?" Tara told her friend.

"Yeah but-"

"As the captain of the squad, I'm saying it's official. She's in," Kim told the brunette.

"Fine. But you know there's no room, right?" Bonnie pointed out. "She'll have to be a backup."

Kim nodded thoughtfully as she realized that Bonnie was right. There were no vacant starting spots on the squad. While she would be on the squad and take part in the practices, she would have to be a reserve.

"You're right," she said as she turned back to Camille. "I hope you're okay with that, Camille. You won't be able to perform at games and competitions unless a spot opens up for you. But I'm so thrilled that we have you as an option."

Camille looked at Kim once more, her icy blue eyes looking into Kim's emerald green ones.

"Me too Kim," she said with a grin. "Me too."


	5. Much Ado About Nothing

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who cares about this story. I'm glad so many people are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Speak low, if you speak love."_

_~Much Ado About Nothing, ii, 1_

XXXXXXXXXX

What a week it had been. He was happy it was nearly over. The bullying, the missions, the weirdness. Not to mention the extra homework. It was all beginning to pile up a bit. But in a few short hours he would be free for a nice, relaxing weekend. If there were no more missions, that is. But with his luck there would be. Unless… no. There was no way any of that stuff was true.

Ron sat at his usual lunch table surrounded by his usual companions. So far today had been pretty quiet and mellow. There wasn't any juicy gossip to talk about. If there was, Monique would be sure to know about it. But the school was still abuzz about what had occurred during cheer practice yesterday. Pretty much everyone had been surprised that the blonde girl had any kind of talent. Some were happier about the revelation than others.

Looking to his best friend, he smiled as he saw that she had brought her lunch from home. She wouldn't be gagging on mystery meat today. He wondered if she was going to make it a permanent thing like him. He was snapped out of his daydream when he heard her say his name.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Just asking what your plans for tonight are, Ron," she said.

"Oh. Uh, Felix and me have some major gaming plans tonight."

"That sounds, um… gameish."

"Yup. There's a big Zombie Mayhem online tournament tonight. We're going to kick some undead butt."

"Wait, you can play video games over the internet now?"

"Yeah. Welcome to the 21st century, Kim."

"Ugh. I'm so not into the whole gaming scene."

"Yeah, I remember," Felix said.

Ron laughed at the memories.

"Yeah. You were so clueless. 'Jump-kick! Jump-kick!'," he said mocking her earlier attempts at playing Zombie Mayhem.

Kim merely growled in response.

"Hey we're just kidding!" Felix grinned.

"Yup. If it's not your thing then it's not your thing. Even you can't do anything, despite what the motto says."

"I bet I could if I tried…" she grumbled.

"Someday I'll make you back up those words," Ron told her.

"Okay, so you're gaming tonight. No big," she said before turning to Monique. "How about you, Monique. Any big plans tonight?"

"Nope. Absolutely nothing happening on a Friday night. I'm so lame," Monique joked.

"Then it looks like we have something in common. How about the mall and a movie?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Any good movies coming out tonight?"

"Oh! You two need to go see that new action movie!" Ron interjected. "The one where the alien invaders take on the horde of zombies!"

Kim and Monique silently stared at him for a moment before turning back to each other.

"I'm thinking that new romantic comedy," Kim suggested. "You know, the one with that charming yet awkward British actor?"

"Oh yeah, I've heard good things about it," Monique agreed.

"Romances… why is it always romances with you girls!" Ron wondered aloud.

"Maybe you'll find out some day," Felix joked.

"Ouch," Monique commented.

The teens continued chatting and throwing lighthearted insults at each other. Ron was thrilled that the weekend was fast approaching. Tonight there would be nothing but gaming bliss with Felix. He was sure that the two of them would win the tournament. He had gotten a lot better, and no longer even thought about using a cheat book to aid him. Then on Saturday and Sunday he would no doubt be spending time with Kim and everyone else. Things were looking up for him. He couldn't help but think about why it was happening.

As he continued to ponder the words that had echoed in his head since the previous day, Kim once again spoke up.

"Kinda weird how Camille was able to do those moves…" she said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, I can't say I was expecting that," Monique agreed.

Both boys nodded in agreement without saying a word. As they did, Kim reached down and fished her kimmunicator from her pocket. Wade appeared on the screen and looked to be ready for whatever Kim called him for.

"What's up Kim?" he asked.

"Wade, I have a bit of an unusual request."

"Considering I hack into government databases and super villain profiles all the time, I don't think anything you could say would be weirder."

"Point taken," she said. "Anyway, I need you to run a background check on Camille."

"Okay, what for?"

"I just want to know more about her and her history. What's she been up to? And how did she get so good at gymnastics?"

"Someone's jealous…" Felix said playfully.

"I am so not jealous."

"Okay, so then why do you want to know so much?"

"Because… because it's just weird!" she told him. "How could she do that? We've all seen her on TV and in the news. She's…" she stopped herself before going on.

"She's what?" Wade asked.

"Nevermind. So can you do it?"

"Piece of cake."

It took only about twenty seconds for Wade to access Camille's school records and put them up on the screen. After that, he gathered up any and all legal records that were available, but there was next to nothing there. Apparently the only crimes she had ever committed involved speeding tickets.

"Okay, let's see what we have here…" Kim said as she began to read selected pieces aloud. "Traffic violation, traffic violation… blah blah blah…"

"Nothing that bad so far." Monique commented.

"School records…" Kim continued. "Three years of home schooling in Los Angeles, then three months at some private academy in Paris, another three months in New York, and now she's here. Wait, what?"

The other teens just looked at her in silence as they expected her to continue and explain what she had found.

"On the school's gymnastics team in both Paris and New York. Well, I guess that could explain it. She would have had to have prior experience to be on some private schools teams."

"See, you're getting all worryish over nothing," Ron told her.

"Maybe…"

"Personally I blame the fake you," he said. "You were right when you said it was throwing you off your game. It's getting you all worked up over nothing. I mean, you're actually getting paranoid about Camille being able to do some flips and stuff."

Kim let out a quiet laugh and shook her head as she realized he was right.

"Wow Ron, you're right," she agreed. "I shouldn't be looking for something that isn't there. It's awesome that she's more than just a big, ignorant mouth."

"That's the Kim I know."

She turned to look back down at Wade.

"Well thanks for the info, Wade. Now that that mystery is solved, I can focus more on practicing the routines."

"No problem, Kim. Call if you need anything else."

"Will do."

The screen went blank as she put the kimmunicator back in her pocket and looked back up to her friends. Noticing that Ron and Felix were both done with their meals, she looked down at her sandwich and saw how much was left. And she had barely even dented the small bag of chips.

"I thought the lack of mystery meat would improve your appetite," Monique said.

"I guess I'm just a slow eater."

"Or they're really fast ones."

Kim smiled as she remembered the time Ron and Felix had had a competition to see who could devour their meal faster. Felix had won, but that hadn't stopped Ron from trying to beat him every now and then. Despite today not being one of those times, they had still eaten their lunches extremely quick. She then noticed both of them eyeing her chips and dessert.

"So not happening," she smirked at them.

Ron and Felix let out disappointed groans. The two girls giggled as they saw them both pout.

"My appetite suddenly came back," she said before taking a large bite of her sandwich.

The boys grumbled as she continued to eat. But soon enough they switched topics, and the rest of the lunch period was spent talking about each pairs plans for later tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

Why did they have cheer practice on Fridays? It just didn't make any sense to him. Once the bell rang and the last class ended, his day was over. His week was over. It seemed as if every week he asked himself why he had to stay after school. But at least he didn't have to do much. Most of the time he sat around watching the cheerleaders practice their own routine. But when he wasn't, he was either spotting them during the particularly tricky stunts, or perfecting his own act. And since his own act was as good as it was going to get, he was currently benched.

He sat at the very bottom of the wooden bleachers and looked on as the cheer squad went over their routine. He estimated that he had seen it dozens of times over the past several weeks. But with sectionals fast approaching, he understood the need to keep working at it. He was amazed by how fluid and graceful their movements were. A flip here, a cartwheel there, it all added up to some kind of physical poetry. He was sure they would win at the upcoming competition. Upperton and Lowerton didn't stand a chance.

Normally his eyes were drawn to one person in particular, that being Kim. As his best friend, as well as pretty much the only girl on the squad who liked him, he couldn't help but not look at her as she performed all of her moves with precise perfection. But today was different. There was someone new to watch. Amazingly enough, Camille seemed to actually be making an attempt to befriend him. While it wasn't unusual for people to try to make new friends, it was unusual in this case. Camille was rich, famous and beautiful. She was already at the top of the food chain after attending this school for only a few days. She was also friends with Bonnie Rockwaller. He on the other hand was a Pink Sloth. He was the lowest of the low, at the very bottom of the food chain. For someone like her to intentionally talk to someone like him was beyond wrong. Had it not been for him and Kim being friends, it would have been unheard of.

So he reasoned that it wasn't totally impossible for Camille to make contact with him. Except the physical kind. Why had she touched his hand yesterday? His mind went blurry when it was actually happening, but now that he was sitting here thinking about it, it did seem rather… odd. But still, the question was why? Was he simply over thinking it? Maybe he shouldn't bother with the "why", and just sit back and enjoy it. Or maybe all of the talk about karma actually did make sense. He was a good person after all. He helped save the world a lot. He treated everyone nicely no matter how bad they treated him. Maybe he really was getting rewarded for all of his good works.

The girls had just successfully formed a human pyramid with Kim standing proudly at the top of it. After holding it for a few seconds, they slowly began to come apart as each of the girls came back down to the mats.

"Okay girls, great job," Kim congratulated them. "Take five minutes for a break, and don't forget to get something to drink."

Good old Kim. She was always looking out for the people she cared about. She even did so for the people she didn't care about, and even her enemies. It was all part of what made her such a wonderful person, and an even better friend.

After toweling off her face she walked over to the bottom steps of the bleachers and took a seat next to Ron.

"Looking great out there, KP," he said warmly.

"Thanks Ron."

"Seriously, you guys are totally going to win sectionals. Those other teams don't stand a chance."

"We have to remember to take every challenge seriously," she warned him.

Ron merely waved off her concerns.

"With moves like those?" he asked. "Please. You guys are a lock for regionals."

"Well… we have been working really hard and all…" she said modestly.

"Absolutely!" he agreed. "I've been watching you every day all year. Well, except for my numerous sick days."

"You do seem to get randomly sick a lot, Ron," she smiled.

"Hah, yeah… good times…" he chuckled. "A guy needs a day off every couple of weeks."

"Especially on days where there's a test. Such as last week's Latin test."

"Well excuse me for hating that class more than any other class I've ever taken."

"You were the one who wanted to take it in the first place."

"I thought I would get to eat salsa!" he whined.

"And yet, it still didn't stop you from sneaking salsa and tortilla chips into class that one time."

"That was worth the detention."

"I'm sure it was."

He heard his stomach growl at the thought of food. He looked down at it, and then up at Kim who had heard it too.

"So is practice almost over?" he asked.

"Almost. We're just going to practice the routine one more time with a few alterations in case we get an injury. The girls have to be prepared for a few roles in case a spot needs to be filled."

"Always thinking ahead, Kim."

"And that's why I'm the captain," she smiled before turning and looking at Bonnie. 'Unlike Ms. Buy-New-Uniforms-For-The-Squad' over there. She didn't do one thing to improve the team or routines. No wonder she only lasted a week."

"Ah yes, freshman year…" Ron thought aloud. "Everything was so different back then."

"Not really. I'd say everything is pretty much the same. Same spots on the squad, you're still the mascot, Bonnie and Mr. Barkin are still both mean…" she trailed off.

"So different..." he repeated thoughtfully.

Kim chuckled and shook her head before standing up.

"Okay, I need to go get some water before we get back to practicing. We'll talk more after."

"Have fun."

She walked off to get her water bottle from where it was sitting and took a drink. After that, the squad gathered back together on the mats and listened to what Kim was saying. After about a minute of talking, they broke apart and the girls took their positions to begin the routine once more. Before they did though, Kim took a few steps toward Ron.

"Hey Ron, could you come here?" she asked.

He had a good idea of what was going on, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"What's up?" he wondered.

"Since we have a bunch of girls in places they aren't used to, we could use an extra spotter. Sound okay?"

"No problem."

"Okay good," she said before turning her attention back to the squad. "Okay girls, get ready."

The familiar song used in this routine began playing once more. Ron stood a few steps away from the action as the girls once again went to work. After numerous gymnastic and acrobatic displays, they were once more well on their way to forming their human pyramid. So far so good, as the bottom three had successfully gotten into position. Next came the two middle girls, who would have to jump onto the waiting shoulders of the bottom three. Camille was one of the replacements taking part in the routine this time. She would be the left of the two girls, who would then be responsible for holding Kim at the very top of the pyramid. It started off well, as Camille was able to land atop the three base girls. But only a second after landing, Ron saw her wavering. Rushing over next to the girls, he arrived just in time as the blonde girl came crashing down from her spot, and landed in his arms. He stood there for a moment before lowering her to her feet. By now the routine had stopped, and the girls looked to see if Camille was alright. Ron was the first to ask.

"You okay, Camille?"

A thankful smile formed on her face as she looked at him.

"Ron, you're my hero!" she gushed.

"Well, I don't know about-"

He didn't finish his sentence as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. His own arms were at his side, and he didn't know what to do with them. Should he return the embrace? If so, how tight? How long? Was it safer to do nothing? He honestly didn't know what to do in a situation like this. The only girl he had ever hugged had been Kim, and they were just friends. There wasn't anything awkward between the two of them. Camille on the other hand, well…

But before he could reach a decision, she let go of him and took a step back. She looked at him once more.

"We should hang out sometime," she suggested softly.

Had he just heard her right?

"What?" he asked.

"You and me, we should do something sometime."

"Oh… yeah. Totally," he said distractedly.

His mind was cleared when he heard the harsh voice of Bonnie.

"Hey! If you two are done socializing, we have a routine to practice!" she barked.

"See you later…" the blonde smirked before turning and walking back to the center of the mats.

Ron stood there as his mind began racing once more. But he knew that he had to get his head in the game. There would be time to think about what had just happened later. Right now he had to be prepared in case someone slipped and fell again. But he wasn't the only one who was thinking about what had just occurred.

A few feet away Kim stood looking at Ron, then at Camille. While her face didn't show it, she was completely confused by what she had just seen.

"No way…" she whispered to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Ron were walking home from school like they had done every day for nearly three years. The only real exceptions were when they went on a mission straight from school. Usually they had the most random and stupid conversations as they walked. But today was different. While Ron was talking like he usually did, Kim was being unusually silent.

She hadn't had a chance to speak with him much at the end of practice. Once the routine with the backups had finished, the girls had gone to the locker room to change back into their street clothes. Only now as they walked home was she finally alone with him. Her silence didn't go unnoticed for long.

"You okay, Kim?" he wondered.

"Yeah, um, yeah. Just something on my mind is all."

"What's up?"

"It's about what happened during practice."

"I know. I really should start studying for tests rather than pretending to be sick. I know that I can't run away from my problems forever, and I have to stand up and face Latin class.

"Not about that, Ron."

"Oh. Then forget everything I just said."

"It's about what happened between you and Camille."

"Oh, um, that," he said uneasily. "What about it?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"I don't know any more than you do."

"It's about the fall."

"Oh, her falling? Yeah, that could have been bad. It was a good thing I was spotting. That was a good call on your part."

"Not exactly what I meant."

"Okay, stop being cryptic-girl and just come out with it."

"Well… it looked fake."

"Fake?"

"Yeah. I was still on the ground when she and Bonnie went up. I saw everything. And when she started losing her balance and fell, well, it looked fake."

"I don't get it. Why would she fall on purpose?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know?"

"Just experience. I've seen a lot of girls fall when doing pyramids and other things. And her fall didn't look like an accident."

"No way. Did you see how thankful she was that I caught her?"

"Yeah, that's the other thing…"

"There's another thing?"

"Yeah. I saw the way she was looking at you when she called you… her hero."

A smile formed on his face as he remembered the blonde's words. He looked down to the sidewalk as he replayed the moment in his head over and over.

"Ron?"

His daydreaming stopped as he looked up and back to his best friend.

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me," she smirked. "I saw the look on your face when I brought up the hero thing."

"Right, yeah. That was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

"More like pretty weird."

"Why weird?"

"How can I say this without hurting your feelings…" she said before pausing to choose her next words carefully. "But do you really think that Camille Leon would um… like a guy like…"

Apparently she couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound insulting to Ron. Instead she just didn't bother to finish her sentence.

"Oh, I get it. There's no way someone like her could like someone like me?"

"No no no." she said before scrambling to do damage control. "You're a great guy. Really, you are. But do you really think you're boyfriend material for someone like her?"

"Why not? I'm a good guy. And I do a lot of good things. And now I'm getting repaid for all of it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's called karma, KP," he explained. "Look it up."

"I know what karma is. I just don't really think she's into you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you shouldn't be looking too much into it. I mean, I'm sure she was really thankful for you catching her, even though it did look fake to me. Who knows, I could be wrong."

"Okay, I sense there's a 'but' coming."

"But…" she continued. "I really think that if anything, she was just being friendly. You shouldn't think that she's romantically interested in you just because she hugged you and stuff. Thinking like that can get you hurt when you find out she only wants to be friends."

Ron frowned as he thought about what she was saying. Of course she was right. There was no way someone as popular and beautiful as Camille Leon would be into him like that. It all had to be a misunderstanding. Kim was smart and knew what she was talking about. Especially from a girls point of view. And again, she was being a good friend. He knew that she didn't want to see him get hurt because of this.

But then again, why had Camille said they should hang out? He was sure that no one else had heard her say that. And what about the hand thing? And all of the other signs he was seeing. Could he really just be misinterpreting it all? Or was there more to it than he and Kim could see?

He decided that she was probably right, and he was probably wrong. It wouldn't be anything new in the long time they've known each other. If there was one thing he could count on in life, it was that Kim knew what she was talking about.

"Probably," he said dejectedly.

It was her turn to frown as she noticed the disappointment in his voice. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, in fact it was just the opposite. She had only told him these things because she wanted to protect him.

"It's okay, Ron. Just remember that you have a big night of video gaming with Felix in a few hours."

That brought some happiness back to his face as he thought about the hours of gaming he would be doing.

"Thanks Kim. That was the perfect thing to say."

"I figured it would be. So how about we hit Bueno Nacho to get you some energy for mummy slaying?"

"Zombie slaying."

"Same thing."

Nearly the entire time spent walking to Bueno Nacho was filled with Ron explaining to her what the differences between zombies and mummies were. Though it wasn't exactly her ideal subject to talk about, it was good to see him in a cheerful mood.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille stood outside her home with her arms folded. She was getting impatient. She had made arrangements with her employer to be picked up so that she could deliver the stolen diamond to him. He had insisted on the secrecy of his lair, so he had told her to wait outside for a small hovercraft type vehicle to pick her up. She had been out there for nearly three minutes. Didn't he know that she was a busy and important woman? Didn't he know better than to not make her wait like this?

The scowl was still on her face when she heard something in the sky approaching her huge backyard. There were no other houses near her own, so she was sure that no one else would hear the craft. Looking up, she saw the vehicle beginning to make its way down to the grass. It was indeed small, not much bigger than a van. When the craft landed, a hatch on the side opened up for her, and the driver beckoned her to come inside. She looked disdainfully at the man clad in red as she entered and sat next to him.

"Took you long enough," she growled.

"My apologies, Ms. Leon," the henchman said.

"Look, can you just hurry up and get me to this stupid lair? I have a life you know."

"Sure thing. But first, did you bring the package?"

"Yes, I brought it," she said pointing at her black purse.

"Okay okay, just making sure. I have my orders and stuff."

The henchman didn't know what was in her purse. All he knew was that it was something that his employer wanted. The less he knew the better. And since he had no idea that it was a priceless diamond, he would be in no way tempted to steal it for himself.

Flying at speeds that matched most commercial aircraft, the small hovercraft reached the Rocky Mountain lair in less than twenty minutes. The man in red brought the craft into the landing bay where it touched down and the hatches opened once more. He and Camille exited from their respective sides, and she stood around impatiently waiting for the man to bring her to her employer.

"This way, Ms. Leon," he said motioning to the door.

"About time…" she said, making sure he could hear her.

The two walked down the narrow halls to the main control room of the lair. The doors opened up automatically and they stepped inside to see the two familiar faces of Dr. Drakken and Shego.

"Dr. Drakken, sir," the henchman said. "I brought Ms. Leon here like you asked."

The blue-skinned man turned with a sinister grin on his face.

"Yes yes, good job and all that stuff. You're excused."

The henchman turned and exited the control room and made his way to the recreation room. His ping pong skills needed some improvement.

"Camille! It's good to see you again!" he said genuinely. "I take it that you brought me my diamond?"

"Uh huh," she confirmed.

"Oh goody! Let me see it!"

The heiress opened up her purse and took out a small case which contained the diamond. She opened it and removed the large gem. After looking at it for a few moments, she tossed it to the super villain. It bounced around in his hands a few times before he was finally able to secure his grasp on it.

"What do you think you're doing!" he yelled. "You could have broken it!"

"Um, Dr. D, diamonds are one of the hardest things in the world," Shego told him. "I don't think it would break because your freakishly small hands dropped it."

Drakken brought one of his hands up to look at and wiggled his fingers a few times.

"They're not that small!"

"Sure they aren't."

He looked at the diamond with pure glee on his face. He extended his arm to hold the diamond above his head as he continued to stare into it.

"And now, I finally have the energy supply for my newest weapon! The Ultracharged Devastator Laser!"

Both women looked at him without saying a word.

"With this weapon of ultimate destruction, I can level entire city blocks in just one shot! The world will tremble before me!"

"Look, that's great and all, but I want my money," Camille told him.

"Ah yes, your money. Shego, transfer the funds to Camille's account."

"Do I look like your secretary?" the green-hued woman asked.

Drakken growled in frustration. He walked over to his control console and pressed an intercom button.

"Bob! I need you to send the payment to Camille's account!" he yelled into it.

It took a few seconds for the henchman to respond.

"Yes sir," he finally said. "And you know, you don't have to yell into that thing. It hurts my ears."

"This is my lair! I will do what I want!"

"Sounds like the henchmen are getting rebellious," Shego said sarcastically.

"I'll show them who's boss…"

He pressed another button, this one sending the message to every room in the lair.

"May I have your attention please! Next week's Hawaiian Shirt Friday has been cancelled!" he yelled before lowering his voice. "That is all."

Though there were no henchmen in the room with him, he was sure that they were groaning in disappointment all around the lair.

"That will teach them to respect me," he said to Shego.

"Oh yeah, you sure showed them. Now I don't have to see them all in their stupid colorful shirts. Good job."

The smile disappeared from his face as a realization hit him.

"Wait a minute. You only said that because you wanted me to cancel Hawaiian Shirt Friday?"

"Uh, yeah. It's stupid."

Drakken mumbled something as he stepped back toward the control console.

"Attention henchmen! Hawaiian Shirt Friday is officially reinstated! That is all."

Shego growled softly before bringing her magazine back up to her face.

"Whatever."

He looked up at the large screen in the room and brought up his financial records. He saw that funds had been transferred from his account to Camille's. The blonde teen looked up at the screen and saw it as well. But before she left, she brought out her phone and checked her own account to make sure what was on the screen wasn't fake. A few seconds later she had confirmed that the money was indeed in her account, and that this transaction was over.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Camille," Dr. Drakken said. "And how is phase two coming along?"

"I have Ron right where I want him. And I have big plans for the two of us tomorrow night."

"Good, good."

"Right, let me ask you something, Dr. D," Shego said. "Where did you get this sudden idea to break up Team Possible?"

Drakken turned and looked at his sidekick.

"What do you mean, 'where did I get the idea to break up Team Possible'?," he said disdainfully. "I'm an evil genius. These ideas come to me without any effort."

"I guess that would explain why you fail so much," she grinned.

"I'll have you know that I'm so brilliant, that I can't even remember all the ingenious ideas that I come up with. It just so happens that I thought of this idea, and had the foresight to write it down on a posted note and put it on my computer so I wouldn't forget about it."

"Great. So how does breaking up Team Possible help us conquer the world again?"

"Because…" he said uneasily. "Because once they're no longer a team, she won't be nearly as effective in foiling my evil plans!"

"How so?"

"Don't you remember that 'Ron Factor' file we acquired from Global Justice?"

"That file was a load of garbage."

"Either way, the file says that the sidekick is instrumental in the success of Kim Possible's missions!"

"And how exactly did we get this file?" she asked. "Because I know that I didn't break in and get it for you."

"Look, I don't remember all the details. All I know is that this is my greatest plan yet. Happy?"

"It's hard to be optimistic when you've failed in every effort over the past two and a half years."

"We'll see who's gloating when it works! It will be me!"

"Whatever."

"Hey, if you two are done arguing, you need to tell your driver guy to take me home," Camille said.

"Of course," Dr. Drakken agreed. "I wouldn't want to keep you from manipulating the sidekick."

Camille began walking toward the exit, but stopped and turned to look back at Shego.

"And you," she said pointing at the villainess. "You need to stop calling me and telling me what to do. I don't know why you're so weird, but the only thing it means to me is that you're an item on the Bueno Nacho menu. Just let me do my job."

She left after saying this, leaving a confused Drakken and Shego. The mad scientist looked to his sidekick wanting an explanation.

"Shego, what was that about?"

"I honestly have no idea. By the way, where did you even find that chick?"

"Craigslist. You can find anything there."

"Evil Craigslist?"

"That's what I said. Craigslist."


	6. Masquerade Ball

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Your support means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!  
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."_

_~Romeo and Juliet, i, 5_

XXXXXXXXXX

Saturday night in Middleton. Spring had banished the harsh, cold winter nights by this time of year, so to be out at this time would be marvelous. Marvelous if you were old enough to be out this late, that was. Ron was lying in his bed with a video game controller in his hands. He couldn't help but feel disappointed by how he and Felix had done the prior evening. Out of 128 pairs which had entered the tournament, they had come in 99th place. The only solace they took out of the experience was that they at least broke into the top one hundred. Oh well, there was always next time.

Right now he was just incredibly bored. He was playing Zombie Mayhem and just casually slaying every zombie he could find. He wasn't playing online, so he could be as slow and casual as he wanted. But earlier his day had been a lot of fun. He had hung out with Kim, Monique, and Felix like he always did on the weekends. A trip to Bueno Nacho, movie, and just going up and down the downtown area of Middleton was always a blast with them. But when it came to the middle of the night, he had nothing to do other than either play video games or chat with his friends either over the phone or online.

He yawned as he just slew another of the living dead. Looking to the clock, he saw that it was a little past midnight. He wasn't tired at all, and figured that now was probably a good time to go over to his computer and see what people were up to. Maybe he would do some gaming there as well.

As he sat down at his desk, he heard something bounce off his window. He looked over at it, and brushed it off as some random act of nature that hit his window. A few seconds later he heard another noise. It couldn't have been a coincidence. He stood up and walked over to his window and opened up the miniblinds. Someone was standing outside below his second story window, but he couldn't make them out in the dark. He opened it up and stuck his head out a bit.

"Hello?" he asked.

"What's up Ron?" a female voice said.

"Who's there?"

"It's Camille, duh."

"Camille? What the- what are you doing here?"

"You said we should hang out some time."

"Wait, you were the one who said that."

"And you agreed. So here I am."

"Yeah but it's like midnight. I can't go out now."

"Why not?"

"If my parents found out I would be in so much trouble."

"Then they won't find out."

With a slight shake of his head, Ron mouthed the word "what?" to himself in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I can't go out now anyway. It's past curfew and I'm only seventeen," he explained.

"And I'm eighteen. Looks like I'm your guardian for tonight."

"This isn't right. I can't just hang out with you in the middle of the night like this."

"So you don't want to spend any time with me?" she asked. The tone of her voice was filled with hurt and disappointment.

"No no no! It's not that!" he told her. "It's just, um… it's just kinda late, isn't it?"

"Come on Ron. Break the rules just this once. Be a bad boy for me."

The way her voice sounded when she had asked for him to be a bad boy for _her_ sent a strange feeling coursing through his body. The suggestiveness in her tone was something he couldn't ignore. Or was he just imagining things again? He hadn't forgotten what he and Kim had talked about the previous day. But what if she was wrong? What if Camille was somehow interested in him like that? He couldn't say no to her like this. She was standing down below his window waiting for him. He had to take a chance and see if there was something more there. He relented.

"Okay, I'll be down in a couple minutes."

"That's my boy. I'll be waiting by your back door."

Her boy.

"O-okay," he said absentmindedly.

He shut his window and moved back into the middle of his room. After putting on some deodorant he changed into his khaki cargo pants and red jersey. Never bothering to comb his hair, he quietly stepped out of his room and made his way downstairs. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his keys before moving through his house and exiting through the back door. After locking the door he turned to see the blonde girl leaning against his house with folded arms. She turned to greet him.

"Hey," she smirked.

"Hey Camille," he said uneasily. "So, um… what are we doing?"

"We're going out."

"Okay, but where?"

"Party."

"Party? What?" he said as sudden terror ran through his body.

He had never been to a party like this. He didn't even know if he wanted to go to one.

"Yeah. Party at Bonnie's house. Her parents are out of town or something. I don't pay attention to all the details."

"I don't know if-"

She cut him off as she grabbed his arm and dragged him after her.

"Come on. My car's out front."

Moving around his house, Ron saw that there was a bright red sports car parked in front. He was by no means a car guy, and had no clue what kind it was. All he knew was that it was an expensive looking convertible.

He opened the door and sat down inside. The cold leather interior touching his hands wasn't the only thing sending chills through his body. He was genuinely nervous about going to a party at Bonnie's house in the middle of the night. A moment later the heiress sat down beside him, and couldn't seem calmer.

Wanting to break this uncomfortable silence, Ron attempted to start a conversation.

"So… party at Bonnie's house."

"Yup," she confirmed. "We're going to have some fun tonight."

"Does she know I'm coming?"

"She doesn't know either of us is coming. I doubt she knew most of the people there were coming. You know how it goes."

He did not. But he decided to play along anyway.

"Yeah. These things can get pretty, uh, wild."

"Totally."

As she drove off towards Bonnie's house she turned on the radio. It was a song Ron didn't recognize, but he wasn't about to ask her to change the station. Instead he just decided to ask about the car.

"So what kind of car is this anyway?"

"Porsche Boxster. It's my baby."

"Oh. It's very nice."

"Yeah… they all tend to be."

"You mean you have more than one?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, not this exact model. But you know, a girl has to have options."

"Options. Right."

He didn't know why he was so surprised by this. She was rich. Her family was worth hundreds of millions, if not more. Of course she could have as many cars as she wanted.

It only took a few minutes to reach the Rockwaller residence. He stepped out of the car slowly, still not sure why he was actually here. He would be much happier in his room playing video games. But one look at the beautiful blonde walking around the car gave him his answer. He was here for one reason and one reason only. To be with her.

He followed her lead as they walked up the steps and to the front door. As soon as she opened up the door a wave of sensations hit him. He heard the heavy bass of a song playing through huge speakers, as well as the many indistinguishable voices talking and laughing. He smelled a great variety of things, tobacco smoke, spilled alcohol, and another smell he couldn't identify. And then he saw the many people who inhabited the house at the moment. Many faces he recognized from school, though was unfamiliar with some of the names. They were definitely people from outside of his own small social circle. He wondered if they even knew who he was.

So far so good. No one had insulted him or told him to leave yet. Right now he was just trying to maintain as low of a profile as he could as he and Camille waded through the sea of bodies that were packed in every area of the house. They had finally reached what he saw was the kitchen and he saw someone hand Camille a plastic cup filled with something. She offered it to him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Beer. What did you expect, lemonade?"

"Oh. Uh no, no thanks."

She casually shrugged at his decision and took a sip for herself.

"Whatever. More for me."

"So what now?"

"What do you mean? Now we just hang out and have some fun."

"Oh. Okay then."

It was definitely something new to him. He had no idea what he should be doing at the moment. It wasn't as if this place was filled with his friends. It wasn't as if he was even wanted here. He decided his best course of action would be to move to the living room and sit down on the couch. Maybe there would be something to eat out there.

He turned to Camille to say something, but she was no where to be found. He looked around for a few seconds trying to catch a glimpse of her long, blonde hair, but had no luck. A slight frown crossed his face as he decided to just stick with his plan. He found an empty spot on the couch between two other guys. One of them just happened to be Ron Reiger.

The redheaded young man turned and looked at Ron with glazed eyes and a bemused smile on his face. He brought up his hand, and in it was what Ron assumed was a cigarette.

"Bud?" Reiger said to him.

"Oh, hi. Yeah I guess we're buddies. Sort of."

Reiger squinted his eyes in confusion and was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Want some bud?" he asked.

"Want some what?"

"Some weed, man."

Alarms went off in Ron's head as he suddenly realized what Reiger was holding in his hand. He came to a decision quickly as he slowly shook his head.

"Um… no thanks. I'm good."

A smile broke out on Reiger's face as he nodded understandingly.

"That's cool," he said casually.

"Yeah. I'm going to go over there for a little while," Ron said as he stood up and went to walk to the other side of the room.

"Dude, where's your little mole rat thing?" Reiger called after him.

"He's not here."

"Aw. Bummer dude."

Ron ignored the comment and stood around as people continued to talk and drink all around him. He had never felt so out of place before. He jumped a little in surprise as he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned he was thankful to see a familiar face.

"What's up?" Camille asked him.

"Nothing. Just talked to Ron Reiger over there."

"Oh. I didn't know you were friends with the stoner types."

"I didn't know either."

"Yeah. This party is kinda lame. Where's the good liquor?"

Ron wanted to laugh. Was she actually asking him? Or was it rhetorical?

"I dunno."

"Whatever," she sighed as she scanned the room. The sight of Brick Flagg caught her eye. "He's Bonnie's boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah. They've been going out on and off since freshman year."

"I wonder if he knows where her parents keep it."

"Maybe. He's spent a lot of time in this house, if you know what I mean," he said.

Camille chuckled at this before turning to look at him.

"Ron Stoppable, did you just make a suggestive and insulting joke?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," he smiled.

"So unlike you. But I like it."

"Oh. You do?"

"Yeah. Tell me something else funny about them."

She thought he was funny and wanted to hear more. He couldn't disappoint her. He scrambled to think of something else to say about Bonnie and Brick.

"You know the weird thing is that he's actually old enough to drink legally. The guy is in his seventh year of high school."

Camille laughed out loud when she heard this.

"I don't know if I should be laughing or feeling sorry for him."

"I know. That's exactly how I feel about it."

"Well then, I'm sure he knows where we can find something besides beer."

She walked over to where Brick was sitting and took a seat next to him. The young man turned to greet her.

"Hey Camille. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wondering where we can find some hard stuff."

"Oh yeah, I know where Bonnie's parents liquor cabinet is. But she said it's off limits or something."

Camille let out a disappointed sigh upon hearing this.

"That's too bad. Some guy said that you couldn't out-drink a cheerleader. And since I'm a cheerleader, I thought you might want to prove him wrong."

"What! Who said that?" he roared.

"I dunno who he was. But he seemed pretty sure that you would pass out after three shots."

"That little… come on. We'll go get something and have a little contest."

"Can't wait."

Ron saw Brick and Camille walk off to another area of the house. He hadn't heard what they were talking about because of the noise all around him, but he was sure that Brick had looked angry about something. Had she told him what he had said? No, that wouldn't make sense. She wouldn't try to hurt him. Plus Brick hadn't come and punched him in the face. He figured that she must have told him something else. He assumed that they were probably going off to find more alcohol.

He took a seat in a chair and decided to just look around and observe people until Camille got back. He saw a few of the cheerleaders pass by. He wasn't surprised that Kim and Tara were not among them. He didn't know Tara like he knew his other friends, but he was pretty sure this wasn't her kind of scene. As for Kim, well, of course Kim wouldn't be here. He once again asked himself why he was here. This wasn't his kind of place either. And as before, the answer came when Camille once more came into view. She and Brick were carrying a couple of bottles and a few shot glasses. They sat down at the kitchen table and began filling up the glasses.

"Okay, so where's the guy?" Brick asked.

"I dunno. But who cares. We're here now. Might as well not waste the stuff."

"Alright. Let's go."

Brick and Camille began pouring back shots. Soon enough a small crowd had gathered around cheering them both on. After only two shots Camille admitted her defeat.

"Okay, you win," she conceded.

Brick stood up victoriously with his arms above his head.

"I am the champion!" he yelled.

The teens roared in approval as he played to the crowd some more. After a few seconds he sat back down and looked at Camille.

"See, no cheerleader can drink more than me."

"You were right. But you know what I wanna know?"

"What?"

"How much can you drink before you're completely wasted?"

"It will take a lot more than this. I know that much."

"Let's find out. It's a party, isn't it?" she said before turning to the people gathered around the table. "Who wants to see Brick's limit?"

They cheered once again and began chanting his name as he poured himself more shots. After his fifth, Camille stood up from the table and turned to leave.

"You have fun with that," she said before walking back to Ron.

Ron had been watching the entire time and didn't know what to think. Did she actually believe that she could drink more than Brick? If so, why had she given up after only two shots? She took a seat next to him.

"Well that was fun," she said.

"I guess."

"What's wrong Ron? Not having fun?"

"I don't know. This just wasn't what I was expecting when you said we should hang out."

"Oh. Not much of a partier I guess?"

"Nope. This is my first."

"Aw, that's so cute. Okay, we'll leave soon. I just wanna stay for a bit longer. Do it for me?"

He didn't know what hit him when he saw her doing her own puppy dog pout. If he was Superman, it would be his kryptonite. He couldn't say no whenever Kim did it. And tonight with Camille was no different.

"Okay… We'll stay a little longer."

"Yay!" she said as she stood and gave him a hug. "I'll be back soon, kay?"

"Sure…" he said without even thinking about it.

There it was, another hug. And even more verbal signs. There was no way it could all be a misunderstanding. There was no way this was merely about friendship. He knew what it was like to be around a girl who was just a friend. Kim never acted like this with him. So while he didn't know exactly what Camille's intentions were, he knew there was more to this than Kim said there was.

Minutes continued to pass by since Camille had left. Looking at a clock in the house he figured it had been around twenty. He decided to get up to look for his ride home. He went in the kitchen to see Brick making out with a brunette girl. Normally this would be nothing new. There was just one problem. It wasn't Bonnie.

Ron stopped in his tracks as soon as he made this realization. Brick turned to see who had entered the room and squinted hard to try to tell who it was. A few moments later he began to laugh a bit.

"Wow, I must be totally wasted. I'm seeing Ron Stoppable!" he laughed.

Shrugging it off, he went back to making out with the girl. Ron took a step back before turning and leaving. A few seconds later he heard a loud voice pierce the noise of the music and people. It came from the kitchen. As quickly as he had left the kitchen, he turned and went back in.

He saw Bonnie standing there with her hands on her hips. The other girl Brick had been with had gotten up and fled into another section of the house. Bonnie didn't pursue her, but rather walked over next to Brick. A swift slap soon followed.

"Ow! Hey, what are you doing!" he asked.

"What am I doing? What the fuck were you doing?" Bonnie screamed.

"Uh… what?" he asked drunkenly.

"I saw you making out with Slut-O-Rama! And at my own party?"

"Hey calm down, Bonnie…" he slurred. "How about the three of us fix everything by, you know…"

A look of disgust spread over Bonnie's face at what Brick had just suggested.

"Look, I don't care how drunk you are. How dare you do this to me! And how dare you ask me to do that with you and that little whore!"

"Chill Bonnie…"

"No! Get out of my house! We're over!"

Ron wasn't the only person who was watching this unfold. Another crowd had gathered around the kitchen listening to the conversation of Bonnie and Brick. When she had declared that they were broken up, the people let out a loud reaction which supported neither of the two teens. All they knew is that there was drama and they loved it. Eventually Brick stood up and left the house with a few of his football teammates. He needed a couple of them to help him walk and drive him home.

Bonnie stormed out of the kitchen walking straight past Ron. He didn't know if she hadn't seen him or just didn't care enough about him at the moment. He decided that he wasn't about to ask her. Then he felt another body close to his.

"What's with her?" Camille asked.

"She just found Brick cheating on her."

"Ouch. Poor Bonnie."

"Maybe," he said cryptically.

"Maybe?"

"You know, karma and all," he told her. "She's pretty mean. She had it coming."

"I thought you didn't believe in karma."

"I don't know. Lately I've been having reasons to change my mind."

"Such as?"

Ron bit his bottom lip trying to think of an answer. He wasn't about to tell Camille that he thought that she liked him. No, he had to play it cool. He needed an excuse.

Too bad he couldn't think of one.

"I don't know," was all he could think of to say.

"Well that's okay. As long as you're keeping an open mind about it," she said before switching back to Bonnie. "Think we should check up on Bonnie?"

"Check up on her?"

"Yeah. Just a few minutes before we leave."

"I guess…"

"Come on."

Camille led Ron to where Bonnie was sitting. She was alone with her head leaning on the back of the chair. She didn't hear them coming with all the noise of the party.

"Bonnie?"

The brunette looked up to see Camille and Ron standing before her. A look of confusion mixed with hatred quickly appeared on her face.

"What the… what are you two doing here? Especially you, Stoppable?"

"I heard about what happened with you and Brick. I'm so sorry," Camille said genuinely.

"Whatever. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. Because you know, that must have been like, so embarrassing for you. I mean he cheated on you in your own house, at your own party, with another brunette. That has to hurt."

The sadness and anger flowing through Bonnie could not be contained or redirected at anything now. All of her feelings for Camille had reached the surface. Once she had looked up to the blonde for being rich and famous. But it only took a couple of days for that to change. She was the new girl who was rivaling her popularity. Now she was a cheerleader as well. The brunette's clique was already beginning to look to Camille as their leader instead of her. And she had had to serve two days of detention because of the blonde. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Look, will you just shut up, Camille?" she snarled. "I don't need your dumb blonde ass here telling me things I already know! Just get out of my house and hope I don't find a way to kick you off of my cheer squad!"

"Kim's squad," Camille corrected.

"Just get out!"

Ron didn't like hearing the way she was talking to Camille. He didn't know what had made him do it, but he stepped in to intervene.

"Hey Bonnie, don't talk to her like that," he said nicely.

"And who even let you in here!" she yelled. "Seriously, shouldn't you be playing some loser video game with all your loser friends?"

"This coming from the girl that got cheated on in her own house…" Camille said softly.

"What did you just say?"

The yelling got the attention of many of the teens in the house, and they had gathered around to see what all the drama was about. The tension in the room was reaching a critical level, and it was only a matter of seconds until it erupted.

"Just being honest…" the blonde said innocently.

Bonnie leapt from her chair and lunged at Camille. The two girls were only in contact with each other for a couple of seconds before Ron was able to pull the brunette away from Camille. Neither of the girls was injured in any way, other than Bonnie's pride. It took a few moments for her to calm down.

"Let go of me Stoppable. I won't go after her again."

He did as she asked, and Bonnie stood there as Ron went back to stand at Camille's side. The blonde had an amused smile on her face.

"I guess this makes me the second blonde you've gotten physical with in this house," she joked. "Too bad this will be the last time with me. Just like Brick."

Bonnie did not attack this time, but rather stared at the heiress with hate-filled eyes.

"Leave."

"Sure. Let's go Ron."

Camille turned and walked toward the exit with Ron following close behind. As Ron watched her movements, it almost seemed as if she was dancing as she walked toward her car. He definitely noticed a happy spring in her step before opening the door and sitting down. He took his seat next to her without saying a word. She spoke as soon as he had shut the door.

"Wasn't that just like, so beautiful?" she asked.

"What? Beautiful?" he asked in disbelief. "She attacked you!"

"She tried anyway. But you were there to stop her, Ron. I knew you were my hero."

There was that word again.

"I just did what anyone else would have done…" he said modestly.

"Nope. No one else tried to stop her. They were all just standing around watching us. If there was a pool of mud they would have made us wrestle in it. But not you. You were there to save me."

Ron couldn't suppress his smile when she said that last statement.

"Well… I do like helping people. That's what Kim and me do all the time."

"Do you ever get anything for helping them?"

"Nah. I tried to get Kim to start charging for our missions. But she wouldn't have any part of it. She didn't want to be like Team Impossible."

"Oh. So you guys get nothing?"

"Well, we do get favors from them. But those are just rides during other missions. You know, a plane to The Congo here, a boat to Sicily there. It all works out in the end."

Camille nodded in understanding.

"So what favor do I owe you?"

Ron felt his throat go dry at the question.

"Um, I don't know. I didn't do it for any favors."

"I think I know how to repay you."

"No, that's really not-"

He didn't finish his sentence as Camille leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. His mind went blank at the sensation on his flesh. For a few moments he just stared through the windshield. But when he finally regained his senses and looked at her, he saw her smiling gently at him.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Y-you're welcome."

"So what do you wanna do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. What time is it?"

"Around one."

"Oh. Um, usually I'm not out this late. What's even open at this time of night?"

She sighed before answering.

"Probably nothing. Just fast food drive-thrus."

"Want to go get some Bueno Nacho?"

"Nope. I can't stand the stuff."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "How could you not like Bueno Nacho?"

"It's so fatty and gross. How can you eat the stuff?"

"Because it's delicious. And because I invented the naco."

This perked her interest.

"You invented the naco?"

"Yup. I got $99 million for it in royalties."

"Really…" she said thoughtfully. "I do remember you saying you had $99 million before."

"Yeah… I kinda blurted that out when I was too nervous to think of anything else."

Camille let out a soft laugh at the memory.

"So what ever happened to it?"

Ron's expression changed to a frown as he thought back to what had happened to his fortune.

"This super villain named Dr. Drakken stole it from me when I was on a mission with Kim."

A look of genuine surprise spread on her face when she heard this. It was new information to her.

"This dragon guy stole it all from you?"

"Drakken, but yeah," he confirmed. "I did buy some pretty expensive jewelry that I still have at home before he stole the rest of my money. He got pretty much all of it for his stupid little evil plans."

"That sucks."

"Yeah…"

She frowned and looked at the steering wheel for a few seconds before speaking again.

"On a happier note, I'm glad we went out tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun."

Ron thought about everything that had happened in the past hour or so. He couldn't deny that he had at least somewhat enjoyed himself.

"I guess I did too. Weird fun, but still fun."

"Glad to hear it," she smiled. "And I'm glad we got to know each other a little more."

Ron nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. You know, you're not nearly as stupid as a lot of people say you are."

His eyes immediately widened and he covered his mouth when he realized what he had just said. He couldn't believe he had blurted out something like that to her. He didn't want to look at her to see how mad she was. He had blown it. He had blown his one shot with a girl like Camille. But her reaction was the last one he would have expected.

The bleach-blonde girl burst out laughing at his statement. He slowly turned to face her and saw that it was indeed real laughter. But it did nothing to ease the nervousness that was filling his body.

"Wow. You should have seen the look on your face after you said that," she said when she was finished laughing.

He couldn't believe it. Did she really not even care about what he had said?

"You mean you're not mad?"

"Mad? Of course not. Why would I be mad?"

"Because I just called you stupid."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No way. I just meant that other people do."

"I know they do. I think it's hilarious."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm rich," she explained. "I've had the best education money can buy."

"Then why do you… you know… act the way you do at school and on TV?"

"Because when people think you're stupid they don't expect anything from you. It really relieves a lot of stress when you know people won't bother you."

"So it's all just an act?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah. Sometimes it really is hard being me. I just need to escape it all."

Ron thought about this for a few seconds before he asked her another question.

"Okay. Tell me something about you that's real."

She looked down and pondered this for a few seconds. She let out a sigh before turning and looking into his eyes once more.

"Well… I'm just so bored with life. Being rich and spoiled doesn't leave much to be desired. You can buy almost anything you want. You're lucky you don't have that $99 million anymore, Ron."

"You're seriously telling me I'm lucky that I'm not rich?"

Her expression told him she was very serious.

"When you're rich and famous like me, nothing in your life is real. All your friends are fake because they just like you for your money. All you have is your money and the things you buy with it. And…"

She stopped as she bit her lower lip. She looked as if she was about to cry.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just really lonely. Do you know what it's like to not have any true friends? To be so alone all the time?"

Ron considered her words. He didn't know where he would be without his friends. Then he realized she was right. He remembered how Bonnie clung to him once he had his millions of dollars. He remembered his posse that abandoned him once Dr. Drakken has taken his money. It was depressing to think that this was Camille's life.

"Wow. You're right," he admitted.

"But that's not true anymore," she smiled. "You're my real friend, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't know how good it is to hear that, Ron."

"You don't have to worry when it comes to that. I stand by all my friends, and they stand by me."

"I hope so. It would mean so much for me to be able to fit in with you and Kim."

"Oh don't worry about that. Kim is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I know she'll welcome you into our little group with open arms."

"Thanks, Ron," she said before checking her watch. "We should probably get going now. Don't want to be out too late."

"Yeah," he agreed. "But I'm really happy we did this. I'm glad I got to know more about you."

"Same here. We should hang out more."

"Definitely."

Camille started the car and drove off back toward Ron's house. They chatted about the upcoming cheerleading sectionals and how he thought she should be more than just a reserve. After she had dropped him off she started driving back to her own house with a smirk on her face. He had fallen for everything.

Hook. Line. And sinker.


	7. Crossing The Rubicon

Authors Note: Thanks for the great show of support. I'm really happy that so many people are liking this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Alea iacta est."  
"The die is cast." _

_~Gaius Julius Caesar_

XXXXXXXXXX

Monday morning. It meant one thing to a high school student, and that was that there were five days of school until the weekend. Well, unless you took the occasional sick day like Ron did from time to time. But today was not one of those days. No, he would most likely have to endure the full week of waking up early and sitting through classes. But now at least he had a new reason to look forward to going to school. He had a new friend.

He hadn't spoken to Camille since they had attended Bonnie's party on Saturday night. Thinking back on it, it was an amazing new experience for him. He had never hung out that late with his friends before, unless one were to consider being on a long mission with Kim hanging out. It had been weird, but fun. He had been there to witness yet another instance of Bonnie and Brick breaking up. He wondered how long they would be apart this time. Prom wasn't that far away after all, and Bonnie would need someone to go with. He figured they would be apart for a week.

He hadn't mentioned being out with Camille when he had hung out with Kim on Sunday. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her. He hated keeping secrets from her. But this was something he just didn't think she would understand. In fact he didn't really understand it himself. And he definitely knew that she wouldn't approve of him being at a party where smoking and drinking were rampant. He didn't even want to know how she would react to what he saw Ron Reiger doing. For now he would just keep this between Camille and himself. He would have to figure out a way to tell Kim, most likely when he introduced Camille to their social circle. That would be as good of a time as any.

Right now he was just arriving in study hall following another boring American history class. Taking a seat as his usual table, he folded his arms on its surface and rested his head on them. His choices were rather limited, either do some homework, read a book, or take a nap. The nap sounded like the most appealing. But before he could even attempt to fall asleep he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Ron."

He brought his head up to see Jill taking a seat across from him.

"Hey Jill."

"Not get enough sleep or something?"

"Nah. Plenty of sleep last night. Saturday night is a totally different story."

"Interesting," she smiled. "Did you get lucky?"

"Jill!"

"Okay okay, just kidding. Tell me everything."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone else about this."

"My lips are sealed."

"I was at this party with Camille that night."

"You and Camille Leon? Seriously?"

"Seriously," he said before chuckling quietly. "Oh man, another Motor Ed moment. I need to stop doing that."

She ignored the comment and went straight back to discussing the party.

"So what happened? More importantly, why did it happen?"

"To be honest, I'm really not sure what it all means," he said before pausing for a few moments to think. "I mean, she said she wanted to hang out with me. But I never expected her to come to my bedroom window at midnight and take me out to a party at Bonnie's house."

"Weird. So how was it?"

"Well, it was the first party I've ever been to where the highlight wasn't someone blowing out candles. Overall it was… not really my kind of place."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not into drinking. Or smoking. Or drugs."

"Yeah. But other than that stuff?"

"I have to admit that I really liked spending time with her. She said that we should do it some more."

A curious smirk broke out on Jill's face.

"You like her, don't you?"

Ron was taken aback by the question. It was so forward. There was no way to avoid it. Any attempt to dodge the question would be interpreted as "yes". He decided that he could trust her enough to be honest.

"Well… yeah. Yeah I do. And I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way."

"Really? Why's that?"

"I've been picking up on all these little hints she's been giving," he explained. "Just certain words she uses when she talks to me, the fact that she came to my house in the middle of the night like that, and…"

"And?"

"And she kissed me."

Ron noticed the look of surprise on Jill's face when he said that. He figured that this would have been anyone's reaction to what he had just said.

"She really kissed you? Why?"

"It wasn't on the lips or anything. It was just a little kiss on the cheek because I defended her against Bonnie."

"That was sweet of you."

"Like I said last night, helping people is what I do. And to be honest, I really liked my reward. It kinda makes me wish that Kim would charge for missions. We could get all kinds of cool stuff…"

"Probably nothing like what you got from Camille though."

"Yeah," he laughed. "And I don't think Kim would appreciate that as much as me."

"So what are you going to do about it?" she wondered.

"Do about what?"

"About Camille. If you think there are signs, maybe you should ask her out or something."

He almost burst out laughing at such an absurd idea. Him? Ask out Camille? There was simply no way that could ever work. He knew that if he were to do such a thing he would be rejected and look like a fool. Even more of a fool than he already was. A couple years earlier he had asked nearly every girl in the school to go to a dance with him. Every single one of them had rejected him. He had learned his lesson from that. Experience told him that it wasn't worth being rejected like that again.

"No way, Jill," he told her. "There's no way I could do that. I couldn't just go up to Camille and be all like, 'Hey Camille, want to go out with me'. Especially if I don't even know if she likes me like that."

Jill nodded.

"I guess you're right. But if you start seeing more signs, maybe you should consider it in the future."

"Yeah right," he laughed.

They continued talking for the rest of study hall. The class should probably be renamed to "socialize hall", "sleep hall", or some other suitable name because there was rarely any studying going on. Their discussion topics ranged greatly, but perhaps the most in depth one was when it came to Camille. A lot of what Jill was saying made sense, but he doubted he could ever gather up the courage to make the first move on the blonde. Instead he would sit back and watch things unfold in front of him, and then decide on his next course of action.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille glided into the cafeteria carrying a bag of food she had brought from home. While she was definitely wealthy enough to not have to resort to a typical brown paper bag lunch, she really didn't have any other options. It was either this or mystery meat. Middleton High School didn't look kindly on ordering food to be delivered to the school. So that idea was out. But she really didn't mind bringing her own lunch either. Expensive imported turkey on gourmet bread was as good here as it was at home.

She took a seat at her unusually silent table. Looking up at the faces that surrounded her, she noticed that not one of the cheerleaders was looking her in the eye. Well, none of them except for one.

Bonnie's gaze was full of hate as she stared at the blonde. The power struggle that had been brewing for the past week had finally reached its boiling point at the party. Now would come the true drama.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked.

"Eating. Duh."

"Why are you sitting at my table?"

"Because I can."

"No one wants you here," Bonnie spat. "Right girls?"

No one said a word. They were too afraid to. None of the girls wanted to be caught in the middle of this. A war between the two most popular girls in school would no doubt end in the downfall of one of them. The school was only big enough for one of them to stand on top. And no one wanted to be caught on the wrong side when it happened.

"I thought you would have had time to cool down by now, Bonnie," Camille smirked. "I mean it's not like you have a boyfriend to be preoccupied with anymore."

"Watch it," the brunette warned her.

"Because like, I know how emotionally devastated you must have been after losing your man like you did. I'm surprised you had the courage to show up at school today."

"I'm warning you…"

"It's not _my_ fault that Brick decided he could do better than you," she said. She wanted to laugh right then and there. Of course it was her fault. "But don't go all Lifetime TV on me and take it out on me."

Bonnie's fists clenched under the table. But she knew she could do nothing here. A suspension or maybe even an expulsion was the only thing that would result from it. No, she would have to wait.

"Just stop talking to me," she said before taking a bite from her food.

"Kay," she said cheerfully. "So what are we doing at practice today?" she asked the rest of the girls.

For the first time since Camille had sat down, the tension in the air had seemed to clear a bit. Jessica was the first to speak. Ever since she had delivered that diet Coke to Camille, she thought that the two of them shared a special bond.

"Nothing too unusual. Just going over the routines some more getting ready for sectionals."

"When are sectionals anyway?"

"Next Friday."

"Okay. I can learn it all by then."

"Not like you'll even be participating…" Bonnie said under her breath.

"What was that Bonnie? I couldn't hear you over the sound of that girl sticking her tongue down Brick's throat."

A few of the girls looked like they were desperately holding back laughter. But none of them made a sound. The table became eerily silent as Camille opened the top of her peach yogurt. After eating a spoonful she looked back up at the girls.

"So has anything exciting happened lately?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Nope," Tara replied.

"_Good,"_ Camille thought. _"No better time than now."_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim noticed a difference in Ron today. It was a tiny, subtle difference that probably no one else in the world would have noticed. But then again, no one had hung out with him as much as she had. More than a decade of experience had taught her one thing was certain when it came to her best friend. And that was that he was always hungry. Always. And when he was hungry he devoured his food. But not today.

They sat at their lunch table with conversations going on all around them. Everyone seemed to be participating in them except for Ron. He sat there looking at his lunch, and every once in a while would look back to the cheerleader table. She could guess why he was looking there, and at the same time couldn't figure it out. She thought that she had talked him out of thinking that Camille had liked him. What had suddenly changed his mind?

"Ron?"

He turned to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Never been finer," he rambled. "How are you?"

"I'm good. So what's up with you today?"

"I don't know. What's up with me?"

"You're not eating."

"I'm not hungry."

Felix and Monique burst out laughing when he said this. Kim and Ron both turned to look at them. Kim had a small smile on her face at the reaction. Ron on the other hand was not amused. He looked a bit guilty.

"Come on dude. Do you really expect us to believe that?" Felix wondered. "I've never seen you not hungry."

"Okay, so I'm distracted," he confessed. "Happy?"

"Not when you take all the fun out of it…" Monique pouted.

"Is this about the whole Camille sitch?" Kim wondered.

"Yeah."

"I thought you were over that."

"Yeah but that was Friday. New stuff has happened since then."

"Such as?"

The bell rang before Ron was able to answer. He was happy for it too. He had no idea how he was going to explain what had happened on Saturday night. But now he would at least have a few more minutes to come up with an explanation.

He walked over to his locker to collect the books he would need for the rest of the day. He was happy that at least his copy of Othello was light. His life would have been a bit more difficult had it been a regular thick English textbook. As soon as he had finished gathering up everything he needed he closed his locker door and turned to go to class. He hadn't even taken a step when he realized that Camille was leaning against the locker next to his.

"Camille?" he said in surprise.

"Hey Ron," she said happily. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just going to class and all that good stuff."

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose I should probably do that too…"

"Yeah. You wouldn't want to be late for whatever you have next."

"There's just one thing I was wondering…" the blonde said quietly.

"What's that?"

"How would you like to turn all this food chain stuff upside down?"

"Upside down?" he asked. "What do you mean by-"

Ron never finished his sentence as Camille wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a passionate kiss. His arms went limp and the books he was carrying crashed to the hard tile floor. He had no idea how long the kiss had lasted before she pulled back. All he knew was that it had happened. His mind was absolutely blank at the moment. He couldn't think of anything to do or even say. All he could do was stand there with his eyes wide open. But he wasn't the only one.

Every student who was in the hall near them stopped in their tracks. They couldn't help but be enamored by the sight that they had just witnessed. Some of them didn't believe it. Some of them didn't want to believe it. But there was no doubt that it had just happened.

Camille giggled at the response she had gotten out of Ron. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently shook him to try to get him out of his daze. After a few moments of this she finally succeeded.

"You there Ron?" she smirked.

"…Huh?" was the only response he could produce at the moment.

"Good, you're still conscious."

"Conscious…" he repeated dreamily. He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind. "Wait, what?"

This earned another giggle from the blonde as she interlocked her fingers around the back of his neck. It pulled his body closer to hers so that their fronts were making contact.

"I like you, Ron," she said sweetly. "Do you like me?"

He was too stunned to speak right now. He just nodded.

"I'm so happy you feel that way," she smiled.

A massive man began making his way through the crowd that had gathered around Ron's locker. Mr. Barkin soon stood in front of the students and turned to face them.

"Okay people, move along," he ordered. "Nothing to see here. Get to class before you get detention."

The students quickly began to dissipate when they heard the threat from the assistant principal. When he was satisfied at the pace at which the teens were moving he turned to face the pair of blondes.

"And you two need to get to class as well. I don't know what's going on here, but whatever it is isn't worth being late over. Got it?"

"S-sure Mr. B," Ron said distractedly.

"Yah," she said vapidly. "We're totally going right now."

Mr. Barkin looked at them for a few seconds longer before he turned and began walking back to his office. While en route he looked back and saw Ron picking up his fallen books. He couldn't help but think that there was something seriously weird with this whole picture. He had seen Camille's arms around the young man. The look on his face screamed "raging teen hormones". There was simply no way this could be what it looked like, could it? The assistant principal shook his head at the thought. But then again, despite the amount of experience he had at this school and working with students, there was simply no way he could predict what teenagers would do these days.

When Ron had finished picking up his belongings, he looked back into Camille's beautiful blue eyes. She was the first to speak.

"We'll talk more at cheer practice, kay?"

"Yeah. That sounds good."

"See you in English class."

Camille brought Ron close and placed a much gentler kiss on his lips before walking away to her next class.

He stood there for a few moments watching her leave with a huge grin on his face. This was amazing. This was awesome. This was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He couldn't wait to tell Kim. Then it hit him.

How exactly was he going to tell her?

XXXXXXXXXX

He hadn't needed to tell her. He was amazed that he ever thought he would have to. The entire school had found out about what had happened in the hall only minutes afterward. Upon walking into the chemistry room, the entire class turned and stared at him. He didn't know what they were expecting out of him. Were they waiting for him to shout "boo yah!" like he normally would when he was this happy? If so then they would be disappointed. He couldn't help but think that to do so would be disrespectful to Camille. He decided that he would go through this with quiet dignity. He didn't want to risk anything, especially himself, ruining his chances with his first girlfriend.

When he had taken his seat next to Kim she didn't know what to do. She looked at him and opened her mouth to speak several times, but the words never came out. It was safe to say that he wasn't the only person who was completely shocked at this turn of events. Eventually however she did manage to find the words she was looking for. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

"Ron?" she said warily.

"Hey Kim," he said happily.

"Is it true what everyone is saying? That Camille…"

"Kissed me?"

"Yeah. That's the word I was looking for.

"Yup. It's true."

"But how? When? Why?" she rambled.

"Believe me Kim, if I had the answer to the why, I would gladly give it to you. All I know is that things are finally starting to go my way."

"Go your way? What do you mean?"

"I haven't been bullied since that last time in P.E. class. And now of all the people in this school, no, all the people in the world, Camille chose me to be her boyfriend. You can't deny that things are going great for me."

"You're right, I can't. But don't you think it's just a little weird?"

"See, there you go with that weird stuff again. Didn't you say I was a great guy?"

"Yeah, and you totally are. But come on Ron. Camille Leon?"

"Seeing is believing. And, well, even though you didn't see it, a bunch of other people did. I thought you would be happy for me."

"I am happy Ron. I really am. I'm just looking out for you. I'm your best friend, remember?"

"Yeah. And I really appreciate it. But you saw the way she was acting toward me at cheer practice on Friday. And then there was the stuff before that. And the stuff on Saturday night."

Oops.

"Saturday night?" she asked giving him a quizzical look.

"Oh, um, that."

"Okay class, quiet down," the chemistry teacher said. "The bell has rung, and class has begun."

There would be no further discussing this until later, possibly until the end of school. While they may have had the rest of their classes together, Kim wanted the whole story in one piece. Not in the couple of minutes in between classes. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly he meant by Saturday night.

XXXXXXXXXX

English class meant that the day was nearly over. Kim was happy for that. She wanted to hear all the details about what had happened not only today, but Saturday as well.

She was sitting at her desk with Ron to her left, and Camille to his left. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed the blonde switch her seat back on Friday. But now there was no way in avoiding it. Before class had begun the two blondes had been idly chatting about absolutely nothing of importance. Ron had barely said a word to his best friend since he had taken his seat. She understood why, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She figured that the shock and surprise would wear off after a few days, and that he would be back to his normal self in no time.

She knew about all of Ron's failed attempts to get girls to like him. She remembered how clueless he had been when it came to Tara. She also remembered the sorrow he felt when he discovered that Tara had indeed liked him but then moved on to Josh Mankey. And then of course there was the whole situation with Yori. Again he had been too clueless to react to the feelings that the young ninja had for him.

But this situation was like neither of the previous ones. He had suspected something for days now. The signals were much stronger this time. At least the ones she had seen. Who knows what she hadn't seen? But either way, this time he hadn't been required to make the first move. The impulsive heiress had made sure of that, and in grand fashion too. There was nothing subtle about how she had gone about making her move on Ron. She had made sure that a good number of people had seen it firsthand. Already rumors were abound about how exactly it had all gone down. Some said that it was a small display of affection, while others said that the girl had literally swept Ron off his feet. But regardless of who told the story, there was one thing that they all had in common. And that was that Camille had been the one to initiate it all.

Ms. Gilmore turned her attention from the white board to her class after she was finished writing a few words and phrases.

"Okay class, your assignment over the weekend was to read the first three scenes in act three. Would anyone like to share their initial thoughts?"

Kim was the first to raise her hand.

"Well Iago is continuing to prove why he's a total scumbag," she said.

Kim heard a stifled laugh to her left. She turned to see that Camille was the source.

"Do you have something to add, Camille?" Ms. Gilmore asked.

"If by scumbag you mean genius, then yeah, he totally is."

"You're still defending this creeps actions?" Kim said in disbelief.

The blonde turned to look past Ron and stare directly into Kim's eyes.

"How can you not admire his brilliance? The way he's able to turn Othello against his own wife?"

"Okay, so he might be really skilled in manipulating people. But that's still nothing to admire."

"Relax Kim, it's just a story," Camille said nonchalantly. "It's not like this is real life we're talking about."

Kim sighed as she realized Camille was right. She was getting worked up over a Shakespeare play.

"I know. I guess I just find it hard to admire a villain."

"Because of what you do? That whole world savey thing?"

"Maybe."

Camille turned her attention back to Ms. Gilmore.

"The way Iago drops subtle hints to Othello without actually saying anything is just like, way cool. He plays everyone he meets perfectly."

"Excellent point, Camille," the teacher said. "Iago is able to turn people against each other while making himself seem innocent and honest the whole time. When he begins to convince Othello that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio, he does so while looking reluctant to say anything. He maintains the illusion that he is good and honest, while he is in fact the only villain among them."

"I guess that might be why I hate him so much," Kim reasoned. "When it comes to what I do, I know where I stand with all of the super villains out there. There are no secrets or lies."

"Yeah, I totally get where you're coming from. Secrets and lies are so wrong," Camille agreed. She turned to look at her boyfriend. "Right Ron?"

Ron nodded in agreement.

Like what had happened several days before, Kim didn't respond to the heiress. She simply looked down at her open book without saying a word. She was able to hide any emotions she might be feeling from being shown on her face. But her sudden silence spoke volumes. Only two people in the room knew why.

XXXXXXXXXX

The girls in the cheer squad were in their locker room making their final preparations before they came out for practice. Despite the fact that they had no audience they still wanted to look good. After all, to be on the Middleton High School cheer squad meant that you were at the very top of the school's social standings. Someone in that position had to look their best at all times. Of course with that great power also came great responsibility. A girl in that position couldn't go around dating whoever they wanted. The potential boyfriend had to not only be of the proper social standing, but good looking as well. And of course the rest of the squad had to approve of him. Camille had broken both of these unwritten rules.

The young heiress sat on one of the benches brushing her long, bleach-blonde hair. None of the girls had spoken to her about the stunt she had pulled after lunch. None of them had the courage to do so. They knew that this moment was reserved for one person, and one person only. And now she was ready to pounce on the moment.

Bonnie walked over to where Camille was sitting and placed her hands on her hips. The blonde girl ignored her for the moment and continued to move the brush through her hair. Only when Bonnie cleared her throat did the new girl look up.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Didn't we have this conversation earlier, _Bee_," she said mockingly.

"You seriously kissed Stoppable today? Are you trying to ruin this squad's reputation?"

"As if I could top you in doing that."

Bonnie took a step closer to Camille, and the other girls stood and got into positions to separate the two in case a fight broke out. Kim was the most involved of the girls.

"Chill Bonnie," the redhead said calmly.

"I still can't believe you let her on the squad, Kim," Bonnie spat. "We need to take a vote to kick her off."

"Still not a democracy."

"I don't care!" she said a bit too loudly before taking a moment to calm down. She looked back at Camille. "Look, being on this squad has a lot of benefits. But it also has a lot of responsibilities. And dating that loser Stoppable is going to destroy the credibility of this group. Understand now? Or can your thick blonde skull not comprehend?"

Tara and Jessica, the other two blonde girls on the squad, looked very displeased at the comment. While they knew that it wasn't directed at them, it didn't change the fact that Bonnie was making a blanket statement about all blondes. They exchanged a brief glance before turning their attention back to Bonnie.

"Don't call Ron a loser, Bonnie," Kim said sternly. "The squad doesn't have to vote to kick you off. I can do that all on my own."

Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh as she realized that Kim was right.

"Whatever," she said dismissively. "The point is you just can't go dating a guy without getting our approval. And you especially can't date someone like Stoppable."

"Why not?" Tara asked. "I've always thought he was pretty brave since he rescued us at Camp Wannaweep those two times."

"Yeah. He's a nice guy too," Jessica added. "I've seen you insult him plenty of times and he's never once said anything bad back to you."

Bonnie noticed who had spoken up in Ron's defense. Of course it was the other two blondes. She wasn't stupid. It all made sense. They obviously felt offended by her earlier insult of Camille. And now they were taking their new friend's side over hers.

"So then it looks like three of the girls approve of my relationship," Camille smirked. "I'm so sorry that this is affecting you so much, Bonnie. But I think I'll stick to doing what I want and, you know, not caring about what you think."

The brunette shot a venomous look at her. There would be no victory here today. Without the support of the entire squad, save Kim of course, that was simply no way she could do anything about Camille and her unusual new boyfriend.

"Fine," she conceded. "Can we just get this practice over with then?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Kim agreed. "Okay girls, let's go. Less than two weeks until sectionals. We have to make every practice count."

The cheerleaders made their way to the gymnasium where the mats were set up and waiting for them, as was their mascot. It would be another day of practicing the same routines they had been doing the whole year. Kim could only hope that this infighting wouldn't affect their performance.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour and a half later practice had ended. Overall it had been free of drama. Of course there were a few dirty looks and quiet comments made, but there was nothing big enough to cause a scene. But the most important thing was that the squad had performed brilliantly and had worked together in doing so. Kim didn't really care how the members felt about each other as long as they got the job done. She and Bonnie were definitely not what people would call friends, or even on friendly terms with each other. But it was the grudging respect that they had for one another that made them work so well together. The two girls constantly had the desire to out-perform the other which led to them working harder than anyone else on the squad. And this rather unfriendly competition had resulted in a state championship last year. This year they had an even bigger goal in their sights. The national championship.

Camille grabbed a towel and began drying off her face as she walked over to Ron. The young man smiled and greeted her with a gentle hug.

"You were awesome out there!" he raved.

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "It's just too bad that I'm still only a backup."

"Yeah. But at least you're on the team. So you'll get credit if the team does end up winning something again."

"I guess…"

The two sat down next to each other on the bottom step of the bleachers. Camille saw that Kim was walking in their direction. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Ron, you know how I told you on Saturday that me being stupid was all an act?"

"Yeah. I gotta say that I was happy to hear it."

"Do me a favor?" she asked timidly.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Can we keep that our little secret?" she said as she brushed a finger up and down his arm.

He smiled unconsciously at her touch. He loved it.

"Sure," he smiled. "Don't worry about that. I'm really good with secrets…" he said before a frown began to creep on his face. "Okay, I'm not that good. But I can be. Especially for you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks Ron. I just don't want people to start… you know, making my life harder than it already is."

"I would never want to do that to you. Don't worry. I won't say a word to anyone."

"Even Kim?"

"Even Kim."

They finished talking right before Kim had gotten close enough to be able to hear their conversation. She hadn't heard a word of it.

"Great job out there, Camille," the teen hero said.

"Thanks Kim. I'm just like, doing my part or whatever."

"Glad to hear it," she said before shifting the conversation. It was a bit awkward for her to make a transition like this out of the blue. "So, Ron, Camille… how exactly did you two… you know, realize you should start dating."

"Well it really all started last week when I helped Ron with a little bully problem," Camille said.

"Bully problem? You mean the thing in the locker room after gym last week?"

"Nope, different one," Ron said. "The Big Mike thing from last week."

"Oh, right. You never did fill me in on all the details about that."

"Nothing to fill, Kim. The problem is resolved, and he won't ever threaten me again. And Camille is the main reason why. Well, her and Mr. B of course."

"Yeah. Ron was so nice and sweet," Camille reminisced. "That's when I first noticed him."

"So what else?" Kim wondered.

"Oh you know, a few conversations in English class, history, cheer practice. And then he was my knight in shining armor Saturday night at Bonnie's party."

Kim shot Ron a confused look. Another mention of Saturday night. She had absolutely no idea what Camille was talking about. He shifted nervously under Kim's gaze.

"Um, well…" he began. "See, Camille came to my house Saturday and said we should hang out. And it turned out we went to Bonnie's house for some party."

Kim wasn't sure what to think about this. She decided that she had better get the whole story before commenting.

"You went to Bonnie's house? When was this?"

"A little after midnight."

"You were out that late? Please tell me you didn't drink or smoke anything."

"No way Kim. I know better than to do that stuff."

"Good…" she said uneasily before another question came to her mind. "And what did she mean by you were her 'knight in shining armor'?"

"It was like, way romantic," Camille explained. "So Bonnie was getting all up in my face because Brick had just dumped her, and she tried to attack me. But Ron was there to save me. He grabbed Bonnie and pulled her back. If it wasn't for him… well, I don't want to think about what might have happened."

"Yup," he confirmed. "Just doing the old teen hero thing. No big."

"Way big, Ron," Camille said as she wrapped an arm around his torso. "You're _my_ teen hero," she said before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

Kim was now feeling a bit uncomfortable being around the two of them. It wasn't every day that she saw her best friend since pre-k lock lips with the young wealthy heiress of a cat food corporation. It was all a bit too weird for her.

"Well, that's… good I guess," she reasoned.

"You mean you're not mad at me?" Ron asked.

"Nope. I'm happy you know better than to drink and do drugs. And I'm happy the two of you are together."

"Thanks KP. It means a lot that you like her."

"Of course. What are best friends for?"

Kim looked at the wall-mounted clock and saw that she should probably get changed so she could leave.

"Well I'm glad I know all the details now. But we should probably get going. By the way, what are we doing today, Ron?"

Camille and Ron both stood up when they too saw what time it was.

"Actually I was going to spend the day with Camille. It's our first day being together after all," he said as he noticed a slight look of disappointment on Kim's face. "But hey, the three of us should totally hang out sometime. And Felix and Monique too. That would be awesome, right?"

Kim smiled and nodded at the thought.

"Yeah, it would be. You two have fun. I'm sure I have plenty of options for something to do today."

"Thanks for understanding Kim. We'll talk later tonight," he said as he turned to face Camille.

"Wait for me by my car after you get changed, kay?" she said.

"Sure."

Ron walked off to the men's locker room leaving Kim and Camille standing there alone. Once she saw Ron enter, the redheaded teen turned to blonde.

"Camille, I wanted to talk to you about Ron in private."

"Okay."

"I'm okay with the two of you dating, but I just want you to be careful with the whole situation," she said cautiously. "Take it slow, you're his first girlfriend. I just don't want to see him get hurt or anything. Okay?"

Camille looked to the floor and nodded in understanding when Kim had finished speaking. She then stared into Kim's eyes when she responded.

"No."

Kim was taken aback by the answer. Had she heard correctly? Or maybe Camille had just misunderstood. She thought that she had been very clear with her choice of words, but then again Camille wasn't known for her high level of intelligence. She needed a clarification.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean, no. I don't want your advice. I don't need your advice. And I don't care about anything you have to say about the subject."

"Camille… what's going on?" she asked nervously.

"He's mine now, Kim," she smirked menacingly. "You have absolutely no say or control in his life anymore, and more importantly what I do with him. And you're going to lose him to me. Got it?"

Kim was at a loss for words. Her mind simply couldn't process what Camille was saying. Was this just some sort of jealousy that the girl harbored for Ron's female best friend? It was the only logical explanation that the teen hero could come up with.

She finally had to break her gaze from Camille's cold blue eyes. She had to regroup and think of something to say, some way to resolve this. It all had to be a misunderstanding. It wouldn't be the first when it came to the heiress. But before she could say anything else, Camille started walking to the locker room.

"Camille?" Kim called after her. She didn't respond. "Camille!" she repeated.

Camille turned as she continued walking and waved her fingers mockingly at Kim. That same smirk was still on her face as she waved.

Kim's jaw clenched when she saw this. But it was clear that another confrontation would not do any good today. She decided that she would wait until Camille was done changing until she would enter the locker room to do the same. As she thought about what Camille had told her, she realized that this could turn into a major problem if the three of them didn't work it out. She would need to talk to Ron about this later tonight.


	8. Bad Romance

Authors Note: I'm thrilled that this story idea is going over so well. I'm having a lot of fun building Camille as a main character. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. I'm glad people are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_I want your horror, I want your design,  
'Cause you're a criminal as long as you're mine,  
I want your love."_

_~Lady Gaga, 'Bad Romance'_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was feeling tense as she waited for Ron outside her house. Like they had been doing for the past three years, they would be walking to school together. She couldn't wait for him to arrive. They had not spoken the previous night like they had planned.

She had first tried to call him almost immediately after cheer practice, but she had only received his voicemail. That was how it had been the entire night. She had called him numerous times while he was out with Camille and he never answered. She couldn't help but think that it was done intentionally by his new girlfriend. She had tried calling his house later in the evening, but he wasn't home. Even at eleven at night, Ron's mother informed her that he still hadn't come home from school yet. Kim briefly considered asking Wade to locate him with the tracking chip. But with the guilt she was feeling already, along with the lies she had told so that he wouldn't get angry, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

There was something very wrong with the whole situation. Whether Camille was just being overprotective and jealous or something worse, she could not determine at this point. All she knew was that it could escalate to something truly disastrous if it was not dealt with swiftly. The worst part about it all was that it could be equally as bad for either of the teen heroes. If Ron wound up getting hurt by Camille dumping him because of Kim's meddling he would be heartbroken and maybe even feel resentment toward his best friend. Then again, if Camille actually did succeed in taking Ron from her, she would no doubt feel the pain of losing him.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she thought about all the possibilities. After a few more minutes of waiting she saw Ron walking down the sidewalk toward her house. She wasn't sure how exactly she was going to go about telling him what had happened yesterday, but she knew it had to be done. She forced a smile onto her face as he neared.

"Yo KP!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Ron."

"Who's ready to seize the day? Or carpet diet as they would say in Latin."

"That's carpe diem, Ron."

"Ah. No wonder I got a D on the last test."

"You seem pretty happy today. Any reason?"

"Oh yeah. Big night last night. Went on my first date with my first girlfriend," he said before he started giggling. "Can you believe that? Can you believe those words actually came out of my mouth? I actually have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"By the way, sorry for not calling you last night. Camille suggested we turn our phones off so nothing would spoil our first date. And then I got back so late that I figured you would be sleeping. So I didn't call."

Kim frowned as they walked. She was wide awake until around one in the morning. She couldn't sleep knowing that she had to talk to him.

"It's okay Ron, though I'm surprised you were out so late…"

"Ah yeah, that. When you're with someone who's eighteen you can do all sorts of fun stuff. Or rather they can do it for you and let you share in the benefits."

"So I take it you had a good time?"

"Good? It was great!" he raved. "We went to this expensive restaurant place, and a movie, and we just hung out all around town. Did you know she has this awesome car? It really puts my scooter to shame."

"I think anything with an engine would put your scooter to shame," she smiled.

"Yeah, that's true. But wow, we just had so much fun. And then there are the personal parts I can't tell you about."

"Please don't."

Ron laughed at his friend's reaction.

"Oh relax, it was just kissing. Nothing _personal_ personal."

She was happy to hear that. She wouldn't have known what to think had there been more. She quickly decided to change the subject away from the personal aspects of his date.

"Ron, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday after cheer practice," she said cautiously.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I don't know an easy way to say this. But Camille said some stuff to me. Weird stuff."

"Weird stuff? Like what?"

"Well… I don't remember it word for word, but she said stuff like I wasn't going to be involved in your life anymore, and that I was going to lose you to her."

Ron frowned as a puzzled look crossed his face. The look changed to one of curiosity as he turned his head to look at her.

"Are you sure? Maybe you're just majorly misinterpreting her."

"There's no misinterpreting what I saw and heard," she said before taking a deep breath. "Ron, I hate to say it, but the way she looked at me was just, well, evil."

He let out a small laugh when he heard the word "evil".

"Okay, now I know that it was all just a misunderstanding. Camille is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm sure once we get to school we can sort this out. There's no way she's 'evil', Kim."

"But you should have just heard the way she was talking to me, and seen the way she looked at me."

"Kim, I remember when you thought Yori was evil and working for Monkey Fist, and you thought she had kidnapped me. Ring any bells?"

It did. All too well.

"But Ron this is different."

"Are you sure you're just not jelling again?"

"I was not jelling!" she protested.

Ron raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay okay, you weren't jelling. But you did think that Yori was evil. And it turned out to be a big misunderstanding once you actually got to know her. I think the Camille thing is exactly the same, just one big misunderstanding."

Kim growled as she looked at the sidewalk. Was it really that simple? Was it really just a misunderstanding?

"Please Kim, I'm just asking you to give her a chance," he pleaded. "This really means a lot to me. She's the first girl who's actually liked me. Well other than Tara. And Yori. And you with a moodulator on. Look the point is that she's the first girl to come out and want to be my girlfriend. So can we just give her a chance to explain what she meant?"

Kim frowned as they neared the school. He was right after all. She really had believed that Yori was working for Monkey Fist. So giving Camille the benefit of the doubt would be the least she could do for him. She couldn't risk doing anything to damage his relationship on just a hunch.

"Okay Ron, I'll give her a chance to explain herself."

"Thanks. That's all I'm asking for. I'm sure you'll see that it was just a harmless mistake."

"I hope so Ron. I really do."

Now that this situation was resolved, they moved on to their more usual topics of conversation. They continued until they had arrived at school and got everything they would need for their first few classes. Their first stop would be Latin class. It wouldn't be until history class that they would have a chance to speak with Camille.

XXXXXXXXXX

American history was the first class that Kim, Ron, and Camille shared. In fact this particular class had most of Kim and Ron's familiar friends in it. Normally this would be a dream come true. Unfortunately there was just one problem, and his name was Mr. Barkin.

Seeing how the regular instructor had decided take the rest of the year off preparing for a triathlon, he was charged with teaching the class for the final two months. The students were happy that it was the middle of April. Not only did that mean they were approaching the end of the school year, it also meant that soon they would be free from the iron grip of Mr. Barkin. But some people like Ron knew that this wasn't true. He knew that Barkin would be back next year to teach another class for an extended period of time. It always happened. You could count on it like you could count on April to be rainy.

When Kim entered the classroom she wasn't surprised to see that Ron and Camille were already busy talking about something. She made her way over to her desk and took a seat. She went unnoticed by Ron. She didn't know what to do now. Should she try to get his attention? Was this really the best time for the three of them to talk about what Camille had said yesterday? Or would it be better to wait until lunch? Her question was answered when she saw Mr. Barkin enter the room. The look in his eyes told the students that he was not pleased.

"Ms. Rockwaller," he said sternly.

The queen of Middleton High School looked to the veteran teacher.

"Yes?"

"I need to speak with you in my office now."

A frown crossed Bonnie's face as she slowly stood and walked toward the exit. She had no idea why he wanted to talk to her. She had done nothing wrong. After Bonnie had left the room, Mr. Barkin turned back to the class.

"I expect you all to be quiet and courteous to each other while I'm gone. This won't take long."

No one said a word as the man turned and closed the door after stepping out of the room. Kim nervously bit her bottom lip. This had been an unexpected boon. Now would be the ideal moment to speak with Ron about what had occurred after cheer practice. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ron?"

The young man turned around and smiled at his best friend.

"Hey Kim."

"I was wondering if the three of us could talk now."

Ron nodded as he remembered what they had spoken about on the way to school.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he said before turning back to Camille. "Camille, Kim said that something happened after cheer practice yesterday. That you said something strange to her."

"Oh, that…" the blonde said nervously. "I guess I'm just not too good with words, you know?"

"Yeah, I totally get where you're coming from. I was never very good at vocabulary and stuff."

"Yeah. I guess I just felt sort of… weird being around her. I mean she's your best friend and she's a girl. And…"

Ron saw Camille take a deep breath.

"What is it Camille? You can tell me," he said gently.

"I'm scared that she'll hate me and then you'll leave me because she tells you I'm bad for you."

The glistening look in Camille's eyes told Ron that she was on the verge of tears. Ron felt his heart ache for his girlfriend as she told him her feelings.

"Camille, that will never happen. She has no reason to hate you or be jealous of you."

The solemn look on the blonde's face did not change, but she nodded anyway. Ron saw this and knew that she still wasn't convinced.

"I just want you two to get along," he said before turning to Kim. "See Kim, I told you there was nothing wrong here. Just a miscommunication."

Kim looked at him, and then at Camille. The blonde girl refused to look her in the eye. She didn't believe Camille's story at all. For now she decided that she wouldn't press the issue. She didn't want Ron to think that she was jealous of his new girlfriend. But she decided that she would keep a very close eye on the heiress.

"I guess…" she frowned.

He saw that his best friend wasn't convinced either. The two girls still doubted each other's intentions. He could only think of one way to potentially resolve the situation.

"The three of us should hang out after school then," he suggested. "It will give you two a better chance to know each other. Sort of like how Camille and me got to know each other Saturday night…"

He trailed off when he noticed Kim glaring at him. He didn't know why though. He thought that she was fine with him going to that party.

"Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"What's with the look when I mentioned Saturday?"

"Nothing."

And now it was Ron's turn to be unconvinced. He knew that Kim had thoughts and feelings about the party that she wasn't sharing with him. But he decided to not ask at the moment. They were sitting on a big enough powder keg already and they didn't need to add more to it.

"Um… okay. So how about the Avalanche," he said changing the subject. "Those guys sure know how to, uh, play hockey."

Neither of the girls responded. They, along with him, knew absolutely nothing about hockey.

"Well at least I tried…" he mumbled to himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bonnie took a seat across from Mr. Barkin's desk. The man hadn't said a word to her when they were walking down the hall, so she still had no idea why he had called her here. As she looked around she noticed that there was a TV sitting on a cart next to the desk. On top of the TV was a VCR. She had no clue what their purpose here was.

Mr. Barkin sat at his desk and folded his hands on top of it. His hard eyes stared into her own as he continued to be silent. After a few seconds he took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"Ms. Rockwaller, I assume you already know why you're here."

The puzzled expression on her face told her that she did not. But he wasn't about to fall for that.

"No Mr. Barkin. I have no idea."

"You mean you have no idea what happened to Brick Flagg's locker?"

Bonnie began laughing.

"Oh, that? Yeah. It's pretty funny if you ask me."

"Ms. Rockwaller, we know you were the one who vandalized it," he told her.

She stopped laughing immediately. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Instead the man continued talking.

"We know that after cheerleading practice yesterday, you wrote several unflattering comments in black permanent marker on his locker door."

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

"So you're denying it?"

"Yes! I didn't vandalize anything!"

Mr. Barkin sighed as he turned toward the TV and turned it on. After doing this he placed a tape in the VCR and hit play. Black and white footage of the school hallway appeared on the screen.

Bonnie watched in horror as she saw who appeared on the screen. It was her. She watched herself take a marker from her pocket and begin to write things on the locker of her former boyfriend. She shook her head in disbelief as the tape continued to play. This was impossible. She hadn't done this. Something was terribly wrong with this whole situation.

Eventually the assistant principal stopped the tape and looked back at the cheerleader. He was silent as he waited for an explanation.

"Mr. Barkin, that wasn't me. I really didn't do that. This is some kind of mistake."

The man emitted a small grunt before responding.

"Ms. Rockwaller, I don't know which is worse. The fact that you vandalized school property, or the fact that you're lying about doing it to my face when we have proof that you did it."

"But Mr. Barkin-"

"That's enough out of you. You had your chance to confess. But even when you look at the evidence you still deny it. I have no choice but to suspend you, effective immediately."

"Suspend me?" she shrieked.

"You will be suspended for ten days, beginning today. And you had better hope that the school board doesn't come down with an even harder punishment."

"Ten days? But what about sectionals?"

"Oh you don't have to worry about sectionals. It's a school policy that any student serving a suspension is automatically removed from any of the clubs and teams they're on during the time they serve."

"This isn't fair! I didn't do it!"

The man shook his head when he heard her latest denial.

"Why do you continue to deny it? We have it on video. You have nothing to gain by doing this. Just admit to it and be done with it."

"No! I didn't do anything wrong! This is-"

The brunette caught herself before saying something she would regret. She just sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. This was beyond weird and wrong. But she knew that no one would ever believe her with the evidence on the tape. There was no way she could fight this. She stood and left without saying a word.

XXXXXXXXXX

With history class over and Ron headed to study hall, Kim was on her way to her next class, the only class where she would be apart from Ron. As she walked down the hall she saw Bonnie standing at her locker gathering up a few belongings. The brunette looked even more angry than usual. Deciding that she didn't want to get involved in whatever it was, Kim made sure not to look at Bonnie as she continued through the hall. She was surprised when Bonnie actually initiated a conversation.

"Kim!"

Kim turned to see Bonnie approaching her.

"Hey Bonnie. What's up?"

"Kim, you have to help me!" she pleaded. "I've been framed!"

"Framed? What are you talking about?"

"You heard about what happened to Brick's locker right?"

"Just rumors. I haven't seen anything myself."

"Yeah, someone wrote a bunch of stuff on it. And they have video from the school's security cameras showing that I did it."

"Did you?"

"No! I didn't! I honestly didn't!"

"Then why do they have footage of-"

Kim stopped mid-sentence as she thought about what Bonnie was saying. She knew that Bonnie was a mean-spirited and vengeful person. But she also knew that she would never resort to vandalizing school property to get back at Brick. Then there was the fact that Bonnie continued to deny that she did it even when there was hard evidence of her doing it. But to Kim, the most important piece of information was that Bonnie actually went out of her way to seek her aid.

This wouldn't be the first time that a person was in two places at once.

"Bonnie, I need you to tell me the truth," Kim said as seriously as she could. "Are you really innocent?"

"Yes! I didn't do it and now I'm suspended. This means I'm off the squad for sectionals."

"And it means I'm on the squad," said a voice from behind the two girls.

Kim and Bonnie turned to see Camille standing at the front of a few of the cheerleaders. She couldn't hide the huge grin on her face.

"Camille. Not now," Bonnie growled.

"Sorry _Bee_, but cheerleaders don't do suspensions," she said happily.

The cheerleaders behind her snickered at the comment.

"But look on the bright side," she continued. "Now I get to help the squad win sectionals. I'm like, so sorry you won't be able to be there with us. But you can totally congratulate me anyway."

Bonnie glared at her newest rival before walking off. There was no reason to stay and risk getting in even more trouble for fighting. This time it actually would be her when the security cameras recorded it.

Camille smiled as she saw Bonnie leave. The brunette had absolutely no idea that she was not only behind the vandalism, but also the fact that Brick had cheated on her in the first place. Her victory was now complete. The school had a new queen. The reign of Camille Leon had begun. Next on her list was to become the new captain of the cheer squad.

"See ya, _Kay_," Camille said mockingly to Kim.

She turned and led the cheerleaders away from Kim. But right now Kim didn't care about that or the issue between Camille and Bonnie. She had bigger things to worry about. She turned and rushed after Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" she called after her.

The former cheerleader stopped and turned to face Kim.

"Bonnie, I believe you," Kim said truthfully.

"You what?"

"This wouldn't be the first time this month that someone has been framed."

"What are you talking about?"

"Last week there was a mission that Ron went on with me, only it wasn't me. Someone was posing as me. I don't know what it was, a robot, clone, something. All I know is that it wasn't me, but Ron believed it was. That's how good it was."

Bonnie looked down at the floor and exhaled deeply before looking back up at Kim.

"Can you help me?" she asked softly.

Kim was shocked at the gentleness in her high school adversary's voice. Bonnie was not one to ask for anyone's help, especially Kim's. This situation was clearly very serious to the brunette.

"Yeah, I will. You're not the only one who's been personally affected by a fake."

Bonnie nodded softly as a weak smile appeared on her lips.

"Thanks Kim. I really mean it."

"No big. Call me if you think of any info that might be helpful. But right now I have to get to class."

"Okay."

The two girls parted ways to go to their respective destinations. Kim heard a bell ring indicating that she was late for class. She was just thankful that it wasn't a class being taught by Mr. Barkin. Every other teacher was fairly laid back about being a late to class as long as it wasn't a regular habit. But even if she did get detention for being late it wouldn't be the most pressing issue on her mind.

Another person had been framed. And this time it was much closer to home.

XXXXXXXXXX

After school it was once again mission time. But this was one of those instances where no one was in danger, and no one had called. Kim was tired of waiting and had decided to seize the initiative. After learning about what had happened with Bonnie she had no other choice. Obviously what had occurred at the Museum of Upperton was not an isolated incident. Whoever was responsible for the diamond theft was still out there and still posing as people. The only problem was that she had absolutely no idea who was behind it. That was what this mission was all about.

She and Ron were on their way to their destination, but he was still in the dark about the details of the mission. All he had been told when she grabbed him after school had ended was that they had to go right away.

"So Kim, still wondering what exactly is going on," he commented.

"We're going to GJ HQ."

"Sweet! Does this mean we get to ride the tubes?"

"You mean you actually want to?"

"Of course I do. I'm all about the tubes. They're tubetastic!"

"Well good. I can't say I was too happy the first time I experienced them."

"So do they know we're coming?"

"Yeah. Wade set up a meeting with Dr. Director. We're going to their holding facility to ask a few questions."

"Questions about what?"

"The fake me. And now the fake Bonnie."

"Ah yes. Man, that's really freaky. Who would want to build a Bonniebot?"

"I don't think it's a robot anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because of what you just said. A Kimbot I can understand. People would use it to frame me or commit crimes like the diamond theft. Even a Juniorbot makes a little sense. But a Bonniebot? That just makes no sense. Who would go through all that time and effort to make Bonnie look bad?"

Ron nodded as they continued to walk.

"Yeah I guess you're right. So then we're back to clones. Remember those rabid Bonnie clones?"

"In my nightmares…" she shuddered.

He laughed at her reaction.

"Yeah, I never thought she could be even scarier than she normally is. But I guess in our line of work we should never be surprised."

"The only problem with the clone theory is how did they get so good? I mean it hasn't been that long since Drakken made those clones of Bonnie and me."

"Then I'm all out of ideas."

"Me too. And that's a big problem."

Kim suddenly stopped, with Ron doing the same a moment later. The two teens had arrived at their destination, but only Kim was aware of it. She smiled on the inside knowing that Ron had no clue he was standing over one of the tube entrances. He said he wanted to experience it, so she figured he could do it the same way she had… completely unprepared. He looked at her curiously.

"Kim? Why did we-"

He screamed as the ground opened up under him. In an instant he had disappeared from her sight and was now travelling through the Global Justice tube system. A few seconds later another hole opened below her. She was prepared for it however, and decided to just try to enjoy the ride this time.

A few seconds later the capsule carrying her landed in the tube beside Ron's, where the young man was pounding on the glass as he yelled to be set free. A grin spread on her face as she continued to watch him. So much for it being "tubetastic".

The doors opened and Ron fell out of the tube landing on his hands and knees. Kim on the other hand just strolled out of her tube and walked up beside him and helped him to his feet. The smile was still on her face when he stood and looked at her.

"That was awesome!" he exclaimed.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Let's do it again!"

"Sorry Ron, business first."

"Always with the business…" he grumbled.

They saw Dr. Director approaching them with a pair of Global Justice agents trailing behind her. They quickly forgot about their own conversation and turned to greet her.

"Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, it's nice to see you again," Dr. Director said warmly.

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Dr. Director," Kim said. "I was hoping that we could go to the holding facility and talk to some of the super villains you have there."

"Of course Kim. May I ask what this is about?"

"You heard about the diamond heist at the Museum of Upperton, right?"

"Yes, I believe you were supposedly there, but it later turned out to be a fake."

"Yeah, well it happened again at school today. Only on a much less important scale."

"Another frame job?"

"Afraid so," Kim frowned. "That means that whoever was behind the Museum theft is still here, and in my own backyard now."

"I see. Then by all means feel free to interrogate any of the prisoners we have here. We will send a couple guards with you if you require anything."

"Thanks."

The two teen heroes walked down one of the corridors escorted by a pair of Global Justice agents. Only a handful of known super villains were currently incarcerated here, but it was a good place to start. As they continued down the hall, Ron turned to Kim.

"So how about tomorrow after school you, me, and Camille hang out?" he suggested.

"Not a good time, Ron."

"I know. I just want the two of you to get along."

"Try to stay focused. We're here to find clues on the diamond theft, not talk about Camille."

"Right. Gotcha."

They reached the first cell. The name above it read "Professor Dementor".

One of the guards went to the door of his secure cell. Kim entered the room first with Ron following close behind. The guard then closed the door behind them, and the two agents stood outside ready to intervene if necessary.

"Professor Dementor, you're a mad scientist," Kim said to him.

"Yes, vhat does that have to do with anything?"

"Done any cloning recently?"

"Cloning, no. Vhy do you ask?"

"Someone out there impersonated me, and did a very good job of doing it. Know anything about it?"

The helmeted man began to laugh hysterically after she had finished talking. Kim and Ron looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the super villain.

"What's so funny dude?" Ron wondered.

"Vhat's wrong Kim Possible? Is your reputation tarnished by this poser?"

"No, my reputation is not ruined," she said angrily. "But someone else's is."

"Oh I'm so sorry about that. Maybe I could be more sympathetic IF I WAS NOT IMPRISONED IN A GLOBAL JUSTICE HOLDING FACILITY!"

"Look, do you know anything or not?"

"Maybe my memory could be refreshed if I had a box of tasty pastries?"

"Wait wait wait, you never said you had food," Ron said to Kim.

"I don't," she told him before turning back to Dememtor. "Will you talk if I can get you a donut?"

"I vill."

She sighed as she knocked on the door. She stepped outside after it was opened for her.

"Um, this probably sounds like a stupid question, but do you guys have any donuts around here?" she asked one of the guards.

The man looked at his partner and they both shrugged.

"Break room. Why?"

"I can't believe I'm about to say this…" she said before hesitantly continuing. "Dementor… wants a donut."

The two guards just looked at each other again before one replied.

"Is it really necessary?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Okay… I'll be right back with a donut."

Kim felt embarrassed as she watched the highly trained Global Justice agent walk away to fetch a donut for the imprisoned super villain.

Back in the cell, Ron was busy chatting away with Dementor.

"I still don't understand what the purpose of the helmet is," Ron said.

"It is part of zee outfit. It does not need to have a purpose."

"So wait, you could just as easily be wearing a mask?"

The room went silent as Dementor just stared at Ron in disbelief.

"Vhat? No! A mask is not part of this outfit!"

"Okay man, I'm totally lost here."

"It is not complicated. Vhat do you not understand?"

"Why a helmet and not a mask or something?"

"Because a mask does not go vith zee outfit!"

"So it this all about fashion or something?"

"Fashion has nothing to do vith it! How do you not get it!"

"Ugh… nevermind."

Another period of silence settled over the room as the two waited for Kim to return. Ron decided to try to start another conversation.

"So… what's the best invention you've ever come up with?"

"Simple. Zee Transportulator."

"Ah yeah. That thing was pretty cool. Pretty useful when it came to that talent show."

"Talent show? TALENT SHOW? YOU USED MY BRILLIANT INVENTION FOR SOMETHING AS TRIVIAL AS A TALENT SHOW?"

"Dude, it was way important. We couldn't let Bonnie win."

Dementor was doing his best to hold his rage in check when he saw the door open. Kim stepped inside with a box of donuts in her hands. The look of hunger on the mad scientist's face didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Okay, I got you some donuts. Even a few Bavarian creams. Happy?"

Dementor opened the box and examined the contents. He picked out one of the donuts and took a large bite of it.

"It is like having a donut for zee very first time again…" he said happily.

"Good. Now spill," she ordered.

Dementor nodded as he finished chewing.

"Very vell. I know nothing."

Kim's jaw dropped when she heard this.

"You _what_?"

"I know nothing about clones or people posing as you. Are ve done here?"

She felt anger boiling inside her. He had just used her to get a snack.

"Yes, we're done here."

She grabbed the box of donuts from him and knocked on the door again. A few moments later it was opened and the two teens stepped outside.

"I told you vhat you vanted to know!" he called after her. "Please just let me keep zee donuts!"

She ignored him as she turned to one of the agents.

"Close it. We're moving on to the next cell."

The agent nodded as he shut and locked the door. The four of them moved on to the next cell. Ron groaned when he read the name of the inmate.

After stepping inside the cell, Kim and Ron stood there as Max Brigand looked at them with hate-filled eyes.

"What do you two want?" he snarled.

"We're here to ask you a few questions," Kim told him.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think Max Brigand will talk?"

"Dude, you talk way too much as it is," Ron said.

"Hey don't insult Max Brigand," the villain warned them. "You'd better watch what you say to him. He's going to get you back once he breaks out of prison."

"Still with the third person stuff…" Kim sighed.

"Max Brigand isn't afraid of you. You two just got lucky the last time you and him met!"

"So… um… do you know anything about clones?" Kim asked before answering her own question. "Of course you don't. Why are we even talking to you?"

"I honestly don't know, Kim," Ron agreed.

The most feared villain in Oregon looked enraged as he saw the door open and the two teens left.

"Hey! Don't you walk away from Max Brigand when he's talking to you!" he yelled at them.

Kim and Ron again ignored the shouts behind them as the door was closed. They were about to go to the next cell before one of the agents called after them.

"Sorry Ms. Possible, but these two are currently the only super villains we have at this facility."

"Oh…" she said dejectedly. "I see. Well thank you for your time."

The two heroes went back to chat with Dr. Director for a few minutes before they took their leave from the facility. Overall it had been a total bust. All they had found out was that Professor Dementor knew nothing about the person impersonating Kim and Bonnie, and that Max Brigand knew nothing at all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Senor Senior Sr. walked into the central control room of his lair. There he saw his son sitting at the table with a comb and mirror in his hands. The elderly man made his way over to Junior, who didn't look up as his father approached.

"Junior, did you finish the search of people who would potentially try to frame us?" the billionaire asked.

"I did not," Junior replied. "Could we not just hire some sort of computer expert to do it for us?"

Senior gasped at the words that came out of his son's mouth.

"Do not ever say such a thing! You will sully our evil name."

Junior put down his grooming materials and looked up at Senior.

"I'm sorry father, I meant to say, why do we not kidnap a computer expert to do it for us?"

"Because that would only draw the attention of Kim Possible, who we are ironically helping by doing this."

"Should we not just ignore the entire incident then?" Junior asked.

"No my son. Villain tradition dictates that we must seek revenge against the one who has attempted to do us harm."

"Very well. I will perform the search."

Junior opened the lid of the laptop sitting on the table and began typing slowly on the keyboard. Senior walked to stand behind him and watched over his shoulder as he continued to type away.

"What is it you are doing?" Senior asked.

"I am Googling super villains who would try to impersonate us."

"Googling? What is the meaning of this word?"

"It is an internet search engine, father."

"No, for this you will need the most sophisticated hacking software that we illegally acquired on the black market last month. You cannot simply find this information through a search engine."

Junior sighed as he opened up the hacking program.

"What should I look for?"

"Try the Billionaire's Club. I'm sure a good number of them are still secretly upset about the whole freezing incident."

Junior proceeded to look through the list of people who were in the club. It was a short list. But something stuck out to the young man.

"Father, look at this!" he said pointing to the screen.

Senior brought his head closer to the screen for a better look.

"The Leon family?" he asked.

"Yes. Apparently their fortune was greatly affected when you attacked the Billionaire's Club. But that is not the most important thing I found."

"What else?"

Junior shrunk the hacking window and brought the Google screen back up.

"See? Look what I found on the internet."

Senior looked at the website that the Google search had produced.

"What is this Evil Craigslist?"

"A secret website that is only available to super villains. One can offer products and services to them through this site. But look at this name and ad."

"Camille Leon?"

"Yes. Her ad says that she has unique talents available for hire. Do you think this unique talent has something to do with Kim Possible? I have read in my magazines that Camille Leon is now attending high school in Middleton, the home of Kim Possible."

Senior rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered what this new information meant.

"Excellent work my son! There may yet be hope for you becoming a super villain."

Junior beamed with pride at his father's compliments.

"So do we tell Kim Possible about this?"

A menacing grin formed on Senior's face as he turned to look back at Junior.

"No. For now we will keep this to ourselves. After all, blackmailing is a very villainous thing to do. We will use the information against either Kim Possible or Camille Leon. Either way we can gain something from one of them."

The elderly villain started his sinister laugh and was soon joined by Junior. At this moment he didn't really care that his son's was not as good as his own. The important thing was that they knew something that Kim didn't, and they were prepared to use it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was standing at her locker Wednesday morning before school. She was still feeling bad that her trip to Global Justice had produced no new leads. The fact that this impersonator was so close to her made her feel a bit paranoid. It could be anyone, anywhere, anytime.

She was also feeling on edge about the whole Camille situation. Kim knew there was no mistake. The heiress was out to get her, to steal Ron from her. But she just couldn't figure out why. Was Camille really just jealous of their close friendship?

After closing her locker door, she jumped slightly as she saw Camille leaning against the locker next to her own. Kim regained her composure and looked directly at the blonde girl.

"Camille, I didn't know you were there," Kim said.

"You will."

"Okay… not sure what that means."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Still not understanding what you're saying. Can you be any vaguer?"

Camille chuckled at Kim's growing frustration.

"Did you see how easy it was to convince Ron that I was innocent in our little talk on Monday?" Camille smiled.

"What…?"

"To make him take my side. A few fake tears, play the pity card. The boy just loves to save the damsel in distress. And I play the part so well, don't I?"

Kim felt anger surging through her veins. She knew she had been right all along. But this just continued to prove that she was correct.

"What's your problem Camille?"

"My problem is you. In fact you're a problem to a lot of people."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing…" she smirked. "By the way, I wanted to remind you that I'm going to take Ron from you, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Kim's anger only increased when she heard this. There was no way she was about to let Camille manipulate and hurt Ron.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"Aw, you don't like me?" Camille said with a fake pout.

"You don't want to know how I feel about you."

Camille glanced over Kim's shoulder to see Ron approaching the two girls. She shifted her eyes back to Kim's.

"Come on Kim. Tell me what you really think of me."

"You want to know what I think of you?" Kim said angrily. "Okay. I think that you're a narcissistic, manipulative, spoiled brat!"

She froze when she heard a voice right behind her.

"KP?"

She turned to see Ron standing there with a worried look on his face. Kim's mouth hung open when she realized that he had heard what she called Camille.

"Ron… this isn't what it looks like..." was all Kim could think to say.

Camille grabbed hold of Ron and buried her face in his chest as she began sobbing. Ron wrapped his arms around her and looked up at Kim before looking back down at his girlfriend.

"What happened Camille?" he asked.

"I don't know Ron…" she said as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I was talking to her about us, and then she started calling me all these mean names… I don't know why…"

"Kim, what's your problem?" he said heatedly.

"I'm just trying to be the best cheerleader I can be… I never did anything to her." Camille continued. "She hates me. She's jealous that you have a girlfriend now."

Ron nodded as he looked at his best friend.

"You never got this bad when you were jealous of Felix and Yori. Is this seriously because she's my girlfriend?"

Kim's jaw continued to hang down as she listened to what Camille was saying. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her emotions got the better of her.

"Open your eyes Ron! This girl is a sociopath!"

"See Ron?" Camille said as she continued to cling to his arm. "See how she says these mean things about me? Why is she doing this…"

Ron frowned as he looked back up at Kim.

"We'll talk about this later Kim," he said before looking back at Camille. "Let's go Camille. I'll walk you to your first class. Just try not to think about what she said."

Camille wrapped an arm around Ron's torso and rested her head against his arm as they walked to her class. The blonde girl turned her head to look back at Kim, and grinned mischievously at her.

Kim felt her teeth clench when she looked into Camille's eyes. Her smile made Kim's fists tighten as she felt even more rage surging through her body. She had been set up and played by the heiress. Now Ron completely believed that she was jealous of Camille and had instigated the fight. And with Bonnie out of the picture, Camille had the full resources of the food chain to use against her.

She felt a chill run through her body. This did not bode well.


	9. Obstacles

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who has taken an interest in this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_A problem is just a misunderstood opportunity."_

_~Hank Perkins_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron's emotions had been bottled up inside him since before his first class even began. He couldn't believe what he had seen, what he had heard. He had witnessed his best friend since preschool verbally assault his girlfriend. She had made Camille cry. He couldn't deny to himself or to Kim that he was furious. He couldn't believe the level of jealousy that Camille was bringing out of her. He hadn't even bothered to talk to Kim about it in their first three classes together. But in reality she would only have been able to talk to him during Latin and P.E. due to Mr. Barkin's strict no talking rules in American history. Either way he didn't want to hear any excuses at the moment. He would wait until lunch to get an explanation from her. He really hoped it was a good one.

He arrived later in the library than usual and saw Jill already sitting at their usual table. He made no attempts to hide his anger as he set his books on the table a bit harder than normal before taking a seat. The raven-haired girl looked up at him with curious eyes.

"Something wrong?" she wondered.

"Yeah. Everything," he said a bit loudly.

Ms. Hatchet looked up from her desk with a scowl on her face.

"Mr. Stoppable, Ms. Ishus, quiet down!" she yelled.

Jill smirked at the irony of her demand.

"What happened?" she asked as she turned her attention back to Ron.

Ron was about to go into full-fledged rant mode when he noticed an anomaly on the sophomore girl's face.

"Jill? You okay?"

"Yeah. But this is about you, remember?"

"I know, but it's just your eyes. They seem a bit red and puffy. Have you been crying or something?"

"Oh… that," she said hesitantly. "No, just allergies. You know, it's spring. All kinds of stuff out there to make eyes itchy and watery."

"Makes sense I guess."

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm more concerned with you. You're not the kind of guy who gets mad."

"You noticed?"

"I think the whole school could hear you slam your books on the table."

"Right, that…" he sighed before continuing. "I saw Kim and Camille talking before school, and I thought they were getting along. But then I heard Kim say these really nasty things about her. I don't know Jill, I think Kim is really jealous of her."

"What did she say?"

"She called her manipulative and spoiled and some other stuff. It was horrible. I couldn't believe that she would say something like that to such a nice person, especially my girlfriend."

"Girls do tend to get really jealous and possessive," Jill added.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You should have seen Kim when I became friends with Felix."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"That's the thing. I have no clue. What can I do?"

"She's your girlfriend, Ron," she said seriously. "Your first girlfriend. This is special. You have to stand up for her."

"I know. But I just don't know how. I mean, Kim and me have been friends forever. And now that I'm feeling something for someone new it's all weird."

"You need to tell her to apologize to Camille."

"I guess that's a good place to start. But what if she doesn't?"

Jill frowned and looked down at the table. Her silence spoke louder than any words. It only made Ron wonder more about what her response would be.

"You can tell me," he insisted.

"If she doesn't… well… I don't know if it's my place to say this."

"It's your place. Trust me. I have absolutely no idea what to do here. I want your opinion."

"Okay…" she said cautiously. "I think that if Kim doesn't apologize, it will only show how selfish she is. It will prove that she cares more about controlling you than being happy for you. If she can't be happy that you have another girl in your life, then I'm not sure how good of a friend she really is."

He was surprised at the bluntness of Jill's answer. If someone were to have said that about Kim a week ago he would have instantly argued with them and said that Kim was the most caring and selfless person in the world. But to see her act so hostile to Camille, to see her insulting Camille without provocation, that caught him completely off guard. Could Jill be right? Could Kim really be a bit selfish and controlling when it came to him?

"That's… kind of out there, Jill," he frowned. "I've known Kim for a long time. She cares about me like a brother."

"It was just an idea. I'm not saying it's true or anything. But I think it's definitely something you should keep in mind."

"Keep in mind, sure," he agreed. "But there's no way I could believe something like that unless she starts to act really weird."

"Fair enough."

Ron noticed that she had the Shakespeare book that he had helped her get the day they met.

"So what are you reading?" he asked.

"A little bit of everything. Plays, sonnets, it doesn't matter. I've read pretty much everything, so I just go back and reread the particular parts I like the most."

"Ah. It's too bad you're not in my English class. We're doing Shakespeare right now. I think you would like it a lot."

"What are you working on right now?"

"You know Othello?"

"Know it?" she smiled. "I love it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim took a seat at her lunch table. Looking up, she noticed the strange looks that Monique and Felix were giving her. No one had said a word, and it was beginning to creep her out a bit. She finally broke the silence to try to get an explanation out of them.

"The staring. Is there a reason for it?"

"Well… yeah. Kinda," Monique answered.

"Don't tell me this is about that stupid incident from before school."

"Afraid so. It's all over school."

"What were you thinking?" Felix wondered.

"What was I thinking? You can't possibly be taking her side."

"Don't listen to him, Kim," Monique reassured her. "I totally believe you. One hundred percent."

"Thanks Monique."

"I just don't understand why Camille is being so hostile toward you. I mean, what does she have to gain?"

"I honestly don't know. She must have some major insecurity about me being Ron's friend or something."

"That's the other thing. I don't think Ron could land a girl like her," Monique added.

"Yeah, I seriously have my doubts too. My weirdar goes nuts when I see the two of them being all…"

"Groiny?"

"Not the word I was looking for, Mon," Kim frowned. "Intimate is what I was thinking."

"The boy is definitely thinking with the wrong head."

"Aw, lighten up," Felix interjected. "This is Ron's first girlfriend. Give the guy a break."

"Don't you guys have a saying? 'Bros before hos'?"

Monique's question earned a laugh from Felix.

"Normally yeah. But come on. This is Ron and Camille Leon. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him."

"Exactly," Kim agreed. "Something's not right about this sitch."

"So you're with Monique? You don't think he could get a girl like that to like him?"

"No… it's not that. I really don't know what to think about it all. All I know is that Camille is out to get me for some reason."

The three of them went silent as they saw Ron approaching the table. Monique and Felix looked at each other and exchanged slight nods. They both knew that they shouldn't get involved in the situation before Kim had a chance to explain herself to her best friend.

Kim took a deep breath before Ron took his seat. The teen heroine was normally cool and calm under pressure. But super villains and doomsday devices were nothing compared to the pressure of facing her best friend since pre-k like this. She swallowed hard before she turned to face the newly arrived young man.

"Hey Ron," she said as confidently as she could.

"Hey Kim."

She was surprised that he hadn't sounded angry. But she was also a bit disappointed that he didn't sound as cheerful as usual. She knew exactly why. And she knew that she had to get it out in the open. Something like this couldn't be allowed to fester and threaten their close bond.

"Ron, about earlier today…"

He cut her off before she could continue.

"Yeah, about that. That was a really mean thing to do. You need to apologize to her after lunch."

"You don't understand Ron. She was the one who started it."

"Started it? You made her cry."

"She said that she was going to take you away from me! She's trying to separate us!"

"Oh so you really are jealous. You're afraid of another girl moving in on your territory or something?"

"Territory? What are you talking about? She said I'm going to lose you to her."

"Jill was right. This really is all about who 'owns' me. Well I hate to break it to you Kim, but no one owns me. Not you. Not her. Nobody."

"I can't believe how much she's messed with your head! Wake up Ron! She's just using you to get to me!"

"Of course. This is all about you, Kim. It's always about you. Why can't you just be happy that something good is happening to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what? I think I'm going to sit at the cheerleader table today. I'm sure that without Bonnie there they won't have a problem with it."

Ron stood from the table and grabbed his food before making his way over to the table that Camille was sitting at. His girlfriend greeted him warmly before he took a seat next to her.

Kim watched him the entire way to the table. After he had sat down, she noticed that Camille had turned her attention to her. The blonde winked at Kim before she returned to her conversation with the rest of the cheerleaders.

A look of hatred emerged on Kim's face. But she wasn't the only one who had seen the wink.

"Did you see that?" Monique asked Felix.

"Yeah. Yeah I did," he frowned.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille yawned out of the sheer boredom she was feeling at the moment. It was early in the evening and she was alone at home. Ron had gone home to eat dinner with his family, leaving her without anything to do tonight. Of course she could easily round up the cheerleaders and hang out with them all night, but it was a school night. And while that held no meaning to her, it did to the other girls. They were far too scared to stay out late with her, both because of the wrath of their parents as well as any of the local authorities who caught them being out past curfew.

For now she was just casually lying on her couch. Debutante was curled up and sleeping in front of her. The volume on her TV was soft enough not to wake her, but loud enough to hear. She couldn't imagine how people could do this on a regular basis. She needed to be out; she needed to be feeling alive. But with no good options available to her this was all she could do. Maybe tomorrow she would manipulate Ron into hanging out with her all night. She knew she would be able to do it without a problem. And she knew that Kim would probably get even angrier once she found out that she was corrupting her precious little Ron.

As she thought about these things she heard her cell phone ring. She reached over to grab it off the table. As she looked to see who was calling, she was surprised to find the number was blocked. Curiosity got the better of her and she pressed the talk button.

"Who is this?" she asked forcefully.

"Ah, Camille my dear. It is good to be speaking with you," the voice said.

"Who are you, and how did you get this number?"

"That information is not important. What is important is that I know who you are. And I know what you have been up to."

"Yeah, you and everyone else. Have you been reading the celebrity gossip columns lately?"

"No my dear. I mean your more… personal information."

"Personal information?" she asked disgustedly. "Listen you psychotic stalker freak, do you want me to call the cops?"

"I do not believe it would be in your best interest to call the police. They would be most interested to learn about your diamond theft last week."

This got Camille's attention. Her eyes widened as she quickly sat up and moved her feet from the couch to the floor. This startled Debutante, who jumped down from her spot on the couch and bolted into another room.

"What are you talking about?" she asked cautiously.

"You know exactly what I am talking about. I know about your ad on Evil Craigslist. And I have put two and two together to discover the true nature of your 'unique talent', as you put it."

Camille cursed silently to herself. If they knew this much there was no way it could be a random stalker. Whoever he was, he was a serious threat to her and her entire operation.

"Okay, why are you telling me this?"

She heard a deep, sinister chuckle on the other end.

"Oh Camille, I am telling you this because I want something. I am blackmailing you. And if you do not do as I wish I will tell Kim Possible everything I know."

Camille closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She couldn't believe this. All of her work, all of her plotting, all of her manipulation was at risk. More than that, she was personally at risk. If anyone could prove that she was behind the diamond theft her life was over. She would go to jail. She would lose what was left of her quickly diminishing trust fund. She had no choice but to give in.

"What do you want?"

The man on the other end chuckled again, no doubt laughing at the obvious bitterness in her voice.

"What I want is-"

Before he could continue, she heard another voice in the background.

"Father, are you making the call to Camille Leon right now?"

"Be quiet Junior!" the man said hastily. It took a few moments before she heard him speak again. "No! What have you done!"

Immediately after this the man ended the call. Camille waited a few more seconds to confirm that he had indeed hung up. Looking down warily at her phone, she turned it off before taking a moment to think. This was bad. Someone knew exactly who and what she was. And he had at least some clue of what she had been doing. But there was a silver lining. She had found out at the very last possible moment who had learned her secret. And now she had a call of her own to make.

Flipping the phone back open, she called one of the numbers on her speed dial. Normally she wouldn't talk to Dr. Drakken unless it was absolutely necessary. This just happened to be one of those situations. It rang several times before the blue-skinned mad scientist answered.

"Hello Camille. Have you called to give me an update on the status of Kim Possible and the buffoon?"

"We have bigger issues right now."

The phone was silent for a few moments.

"Bigger issues?" he wondered. "What do you mean?"

"I just got a call from Senor Senior Sr. He knows things he shouldn't know. Have you been blogging again?"

"No! I have not been blogging again!"

"Well either way he knows about me and the diamond. And he said that if I don't do what he wants he's going to tell Kim everything."

"What!"

"We need to get rid of him."

"Get rid of him? What are you talking about?"

"I don't know!" she roared. "You're the evil doctor guy, think of something. I just know that we can't let him mess with the plan. Get one of your guys to come pick me up. We'll talk about it at your lair."

She heard indistinct grumbling in the background. Clearly he didn't like being ordered around.

"Fine. I'll have someone come get you. But it's not because you told me to. I think it's a good idea too. Got it?"

"Whatever. Just tell him not to take so long this time."

She hung up after saying that, not waiting to hear the super villain's response. The emotions surging through her body were playing havoc with her. She was angry, she was frustrated, she was even a bit scared. This situation had to be resolved, and it had to be resolved tonight. She couldn't let Kim find out about her true nature.

XXXXXXXXXX

The door leading into the main control room of Dr. Drakken's lair whooshed open as Camille was escorted in by one of the red-clad henchmen. The villainess gave the large man an annoyed look before she strode over to where Drakken and Shego were sitting. The henchman merely shrugged and took his leave.

"So have you come up with a plan yet?" Camille asked.

"Indeed I have," Drakken said. "I plan on calling up the Seniors to negotiate a truce with them. I will explain why they must stay out of our evil plot."

"That's not good enough! We need to take them out of the picture for good!"

Drakken was a bit surprised by the forcefulness in her voice. While she was normally rude and demanding, she had never shown him such a proactive side of her.

"What?" he asked.

"She's right," Shego agreed. "As long as they know about whatever your plan is they're a threat to us."

"But Shego, how do you expect me to be able to neutralize them? Have you seen their island?"

"Yes I have. And that's exactly why I'm going to be leading this attack."

"Attack? What attack ?"

"Look, you have your laser thing right?"

"Yes… but it's designed to be able to destroy large urban areas."

"That's why we lower the settings. You can do that, right?"

"I suppose in theory…"

"Great. So we take out their defenses, blow a hole in their wall, and I go in and get them. Piece of cake."

Drakken nodded his head thoughtfully as he considered her plan. His eyes lit up as a new idea came to him.

"I can mount the laser on our jet!" he said excitedly. "This is going to be a great way to pass the time until Hawaiian shirt Friday gets here!"

Shego groaned at the thought of the upcoming festivities that would be taking place in two days. She was thankful that it wasn't mandatory, not that she would have followed that rule even if it was. But she didn't want to think about that right now. She, along with everyone else, had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

"Okay Dr. D. Let's go catch ourselves some billionaries."

XXXXXXXXXX

It took a couple hours to secure the laser onto Dr. Drakken's hover jet. The mad scientist walked slowly around the aircraft inspecting it and taking note of every possible detail. Everything had to go flawlessly on this mission. Once he was satisfied that the job had been done correctly, he turned to the two women who would be accompanying him.

Shego was making her final preparations before entering the cockpit. As usual she would be the one piloting the craft. It wasn't that Drakken didn't know how, it's that she simply didn't trust him to do it right. It wouldn't be the first time in their professional relationship that she took control of his invention.

Camille on the other hand was merely sitting in a chair and texting on her phone. She had requested that she be able to join them on the mission. Initially Shego had been against this idea. The girl had no combat experience and would only get in the way. But Drakken had insisted that they include her, and kept going on about how he wanted to make her feel like a part of their evil family. Shego sighed at his description of their team, but in the end accepted his decision. He was the one who wrote the paychecks after all.

Much of the trip was made in silence. Camille and Shego had nothing to say to each other, while most of what Drakken said was to himself as he formulated a plan of attack against the Seniors. Luckily the near super-sonic speeds of the hover jet allowed the villainous trio to reach the secluded island in a reasonable amount of time.

Shego slowed to a halt as the craft hung gracefully in the air. The island was visible to them, but they didn't want to move in until they went over the plan one last time. Drakken took charge of the situation.

"Okay ladies, here's the plan," he said confidently. "We will approach the island and neutralize the Seniors missile and laser batteries our my own brilliantly designed device. Once that is done we will land and Shego will go in and retrieve them for us. Then we bring them back to the lair and imprison them until our own plan is complete. Are there any questions?"

Shego didn't respond. She just glared at the blonde teen beside her who was examining her nails. The heiress looked up at the two super villains who were staring at her.

"What?"

Shego just sighed as she shook her head.

"Whatever. Let's go."

The jet's engines roared as the green-hued villainess brought them back up to full power. Within seconds they were in range of the Senior's island. Drakken took hold of the controls of his laser.

"And now I finally get to test out my latest invention!" he said gleefully.

As the jet made its first pass next to the island lair, Drakken began firing wildly at the locations that Shego had said contained weapons. The lowered settings on the laser still caused enormous damage, and it was not even necessary for the mad scientist to be accurate. Great chunks of concrete and steel were sent into the air as explosions tore through the building.

Those weapons that had survived the first attack run were soon activated and came into plain sight. Missiles and lasers screamed through the air, but every shot was evaded thanks to the piloting skills of Shego. She turned the craft to make a second pass at the island, and Drakken once more took great pleasure in firing his toy. Flames were now erupting from the compromised lair as Drakken's weapon annihilated what was left of the Senior's defenses.

After he was finished, Drakken formed a pair of guns with his thumbs and index fingers and blew on both. Normally Shego would have groaned at the arrogant display, but she had to admit that he had done a surprisingly good job. While he hadn't been entirely accurate, the sheer level of devastation he had caused ensured that there was nothing left to threaten the jet. Now it was time for phase two of the plan.

She brought the jet down to an area that wasn't covered with flames and debris. After unbuckling herself she opened up the side hatch and leapt out. She landed gracefully in a crouch before turning back to her partners.

"I'll be back soon."

She rushed off to find her prey.

XXXXXXXXXX

Alarms blared in the main control room as Senor Senior Sr. walked as quickly as he could to his control panel. The lights above him had been knocked out when the attack had destroyed the power generators. Luckily the backup generator still provided power to his computer. The only illumination in the room was from it and the red warning lights that shaded everything in an eerie crimson glow. Why the backup generator provided power to them and not the real lights was a mystery to the old man. But this had been in The Book of Villainy, and so it was done.

He stared at the screen and saw the jet land. Moments later a familiar figure emerged from it. But how could this be? Two men of evil fighting each other just spat in the face of villain tradition. He looked back to see Junior standing nervously in the middle of the room. For once in his life the boy didn't have a mirror or magazine in his hands.

"Father… what is going on?" he asked. His voice was laced with fear.

The ever-calm elderly man turned and walked over to his son.

"Do not be alarmed Junior. They will not fire anymore now that Shego is inside."

Junior nodded but didn't seem entirely convinced. He then asked the question that was on both of their minds.

"But why are Dr. Drakken and Shego doing this? I thought that we were on the same side!"

Senior had no good answer to this question. He merely shook his head before shifting his gaze to the floor.

"I do not know, my son…" he said gravely. "But for now we must try to stop her. Unleash the spinning tops of doom."

Junior nodded before he went to the control panel and pressed a large red button. The lair shook once more. This time however it was not due to the external attack. Several large war machines emerged from their hiding places in search of their victim.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shego stalked through the lair as she did her best to remember where the two billionaires might be. She halted as the hall shook. Listening as best she could over the alarms and sparking cables hanging from the ceiling, she heard a distinct sound. It was the sound of mayhem and carnage incarnate.

She quickened her pace as she darted through the halls and eventually wound up in a rather large room. Unfortunately it was not the one she was looking for. It was dimly lit by only a few flashing red lights. She stood still for a moment trying to determine her next move. But all thoughts were cast from her mind when the entire wall to her right came crashing down. A massive spinning top of doom emerged from it and was on a collision course with her. She had to use all of the super-human speed and agility available to her to leap out of the way of the devastating device.

In an instant she picked herself up off the ground and turned to face the machine.

"No way…" she whispered to herself.

It had turned around. As if some malevolent artificial intelligence program was guiding its actions, the spinning top of doom reversed directions and once more sped toward the villainess.

Shego ignited her hands and threw bolts of green energy at the machine. Chunks were blasted off the menacing mechanism but it did not let up. At the last second she was once again able to dive out of the way of its path. The spinning top crashed into another wall sending sparks flying in all directions. Again it turned and came at the intruder.

She was incredibly irritated by now. What was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission had turned into a life or death battle against a spinning top of doom. Her frustration reached a boiling point.

"Damn it!" she screamed at the machine. "How do I beat you!"

It didn't answer her, not that she had been expecting one. It just continued to come at her, and could not be deterred or persuaded. The spinning top shrugged off the numerous impacts made by Shego's energy as it closed in on her. Yet again she jumped out of the way at the last possible second, but this time she was just a bit too slow. Her left leg was nicked by the spinning mass of the device before she had cleared from its path.

The villainess snarled in anger as she felt a stinging sensation on her leg. But she had no time to check the extent of the wound. The machine had turned around again and was already coming her way. At this point it didn't matter if she could successfully escape it or not. This was personal. She had to destroy this thing. It was a matter of pride.

She scanned it up and down searching for any kind of weakness. Her eyes were drawn to the top of it where she saw a blinking light. She assumed it was red, but couldn't tell due to the scarlet lights that lit the room. Readying herself, she ignited her hands once more.

"I really hope this works…" she muttered.

A green flame was sent up at the blinking light. It made solid contact, much to her satisfaction. Gradually the top began to slow down. The spinning device stopped only a few feet in front of her and was now offline. Out of sheer hatred Shego swiped at the motionless metal with a glowing hand, leaving a scorched claw mark in it. It didn't accomplish anything, but it felt good. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she turned and ran toward one of the massive holes in the walls. She still had a mission.

XXXXXXXXXX

Watching on the monitor, Senior saw that Shego had escaped the spinning top of doom that had found her. Now she was nearly upon him and his son. There was only one possible option left. Merely thinking about it made his stomach queasy. But so many laws of villainy had already been broken on this day, what was just one more?

It was late so he doubted that his call would be answered tonight. But he had to try for the sake of both him and his son. He typed in the web address that he never thought he would. After only a few seconds of speaking, Shego burst into the room. Her hair was a mess and her left leg was bleeding. But the most frightening thing about her was the look of pure rage on her face. Her glowing fists were clenched as she approached the two wealthy men.

Senior was just able to hit the send button before his console was torn apart by a blast of green energy. He turned around to speak to her only for his shirt to be grabbed by one of the claws of the villainess.

"You," she said before turning her head to Junior. "And you. You're coming with me."

Neither of the men were in a position to negotiate or fight back. They simply accepted their defeat and went with her quietly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille was getting bored. She and Dr. Drakken had been sitting silently together in the hover jet for the past fifteen minutes. She let out a sigh as she turned to her employer.

"I thought you said that she was like, good and stuff," she complained.

"She is good. She's the best. I don't know what's taking her so long."

Camille blew a few strands of hair out of her face.

"Whatever."

"You just wait and see. She's never let me down before."

"Yeah? So why aren't you ruling the world."

Drakken was silent for a few moments. He knew that there was nothing he could say that would answer her question in a way that made him look good.

"Because shut up."

A tiny, mocking laugh slipped out of her mouth at his response. She went back to texting. Drakken stood up and opened the hatch.

"Well I'm going outside. I need to stretch my legs."

She didn't respond as he climbed down from the jet and stepped onto the sand. He stretched his arms and legs as he looked at the smoking building. By now the fires had been put out by the sprinkler systems inside. But the lair was a shell of its former glory now. It would be all but unusable should the Seniors ever decide to come back here after Drakken was done with them. After a couple of minutes he saw three figures emerge.

Shego was busy herding the two billionaires forward toward the hover jet. It took another minute for them to reach it.

Drakken looked them up and down before turning his attention to his partner. He couldn't help but notice that her hair looked like a complete mess. But even he was not foolish enough to tell a woman that, especially a woman who could, and would, hurt him.

"Get some cuffs on them," Shego ordered.

Drakken nodded and went inside to fetch a pair of handcuffs. He reappeared a few seconds later carrying a pair of them. He gave one to Shego, and the two of them took the Seniors into "custody".

"I never knew how good it felt to put these on someone!" Drakken exclaimed. "I've always been on the other end of this."

"Yup, I've missed this," Shego agreed.

He looked at her and noticed the nostalgic look in her eyes. It was obvious she was daydreaming about something.

"Are you talking about the days you spent with your brothers?"

This question snapped Shego from her thoughts. She sent a dangerous glare his way. He knew he had to back down.

"Nevermind!" he said hurriedly.

Camille climbed down from the hover jet and saw Senior and Junior standing there. Their clothes were filthy and Junior was obviously terrified at everything that had taken place. The blonde teen strode over Senior and viciously slapped him across the face.

"So we finally meet face to face," she sneered. "You have no idea how much I hate you."

The other four people standing around were confused about why she had just done this. Senior was the first to speak up about it.

"Camille, I do not understand. Why do you hate me? Why did Dr. Drakken and Shego attack me? What is the meaning of all of this?"

"You want to know?" she growled. "Oh right, I'm sure to you it was just another stupid little plan of yours that failed. But for me it ruined my life!"

Another stinging slap was sent across Senior's other cheek. But his eyes remained locked with her own.

"When you attacked the Billionaire's Club you did more damage than you could ever imagine. My family kept a lot of money there, as did a lot of the club's members. You know, illegal offshore accounts so that the American government wouldn't be able to tax them. When you did your stupid freezing thing, it destroyed a lot of money. I'm talking hundreds of millions of dollars! You ruined my family!"

Senior was deep in thought as he considered how to respond to the girl. Eventually he came up with the best explanation he could.

"You must understand Camille, villain tradition dictated that I must-"

"I don't care about your villain tradition!" she screamed. "I care about how you ruined my life! It's because of you that I had to get this surgery and a house in Middleton with the little money I had left. It's because of you that I had to resort to being a criminal. It's up to me to rebuild the fortune and social status of my family and me. And it's all your fault. For that I'm going to ruin your life too."

"Not to interrupt… but I think it's about time we got them back to the lair," Drakken suggested.

The mad scientist motioned for the Seniors to enter the hover jet. Again they were in no position to argue and did what they were told.

Shego turned to look at her employer with a slight grin on her face.

"I gotta say, I like this chick's attitude," she admitted. "Maybe you should get her on the payroll permanently."

Shego took off from the island as soon as everyone was aboard. The plan had been a success, although there had been a few minor complications along the way. What mattered was that Camille's secret remained just that, a secret.

XXXXXXXXXX

On Thursday the entire school day had had gone by with relatively little conflict. Ron was still upset about the accusations that Kim had made about Camille. While a small part of her understood why he was acting the way he was, the much larger part was desperate to show him the truth. But so far Camille had played her perfectly. She had tricked her into making her seem paranoid and jealous. And because of this, of course Ron was going to be skeptical about anything bad Kim said.

The three of them were together at cheer practice at the moment. Ironically things were even tenser without Bonnie being there. While no one had said anything to her, Kim couldn't help but notice the vibes she was getting from the other cheerleaders. A glare here, a whisper there, it all added up to something that she didn't like. Had Camille turned them against her too? It was no secret that with the fall of Bonnie's reputation that Camille was the new queen bee of the school. Now the cheerleaders followed her as readily as they once followed the brunette.

Perhaps the worst part of Bonnie's departure was the emergence of Camille as a regular member on the squad. She was no longer a reserve. And because she was expected to participate in games and events now, she was able to show off even more to the other girls. The moves weren't nearly as good as anything that Kim could do, but because of her fame and popularity everyone adored everything that she did. It made the teen heroine sick. But she couldn't kick Camille off the squad now. To do so would be disastrous for her relationships with both Ron and the rest of the squad. For now Camille had her stuck in a bad situation. She was just happy that practice was nearly over.

"Okay girls, great job today!" Kim said enthusiastically. "We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."

Tara was the only one who responded favorably. She had always been nice to everyone under Bonnie's reign. Kim was happy to see that she hadn't been changed by Camille.

As everyone made their way to the locker rooms, Kim noticed that Camille was still standing there. She frowned as she approached the heiress. What was she planning now?

"Do you have a question, Camille?"

"No questions, Kay," she smiled. "Just here to tell you that squad captain is next on my list of things to do. I thought I'd let you know before the girls make their decision."

Kim's fists clenched when she heard this. How dare she say a thing like this to her. Could she really be that arrogant?

"Hate to burst your bubble Camille, but I'm not losing my spot as captain."

Camille looked down to the floor and chuckled before bringing her eyes back up to stare into Kim's.

"Silly Kim, the girls are already mad at you for the horrible things you said to me yesterday…" she smiled. "It's only a matter of time before they turn against you completely. And when they do I'll be waiting."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I dunno. I guess I just get off on watching your world crumble around you when you know it's coming. Well, I suppose I'd be the one who's _coming_."

Kim couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face.

"You're sick."

Camille giggled at the intended insult.

"Just wait until Ron finds out how sick I can be. After I'm done with him you'll never get him back. You'll be lucky if he even remembers your name."

Kim took a step toward her. This was getting way too personal now.

"You leave him out of this. If you hurt him in any way-"

"You'll what? Insult me some more? Or are we going to get physical? I bet he'd like to watch that."

Kim wasn't sure if there was a double meaning to that intended to get her off her game. But this time she kept her reaction to herself. She kept her focus on Ron.

"I don't know what your problem is with me, but he's never done anything to you. If you want to hurt me, hurt me. Not him."

"You have a terrible poker face, Kim. And that's what makes this so easy. Kisses."

Camille turned after her sarcastic goodbye and glided toward the locker room. Kim took a deep breath to try to calm her growing anger. She couldn't do anything else that would alienate her from the squad or Ron. She had to choose her battles carefully from now on. Letting Camille manipulate her would only make things even worse.


	10. The Ugly Truth

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who is reading and reviewing. It feels good to know that so many of you are enjoying this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Knavery's plain face is never seen till used."_

_~Othello, ii, 1_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim had not seen either Ron or Camille after cheer practice. She was only interested in seeing one of them, however. After Camille's newest assault she was even more desperate to show Ron the truth. Her latest choice of words had been the most worrying of all. Clearly she had bad intentions for both her and Ron. And what she hinted at doing with Ron could utterly destroy him once he did learn the truth.

It was late in the afternoon now. Today, like many other days during the past week, was not spent hanging out with Ron after school. Most of his free time was now consumed by his "girlfriend". She wanted so desperately to go to her house and plead with him again. But she knew this would do her no good. Camille had him wrapped around her finger. She had made him oblivious to all the harm she had caused between the two best friends. Right now trying to convince Ron that she was the bad guy would only make things worse.

She sighed as she sat alone on the couch. Even Jim and Tim had places to go and people to see. Her parents were still at work. Right now she had the entire house to herself. It was such a lonely, empty feeling. She hated it. The only time she could remember feeling this way was when Ron and Felix became close friends. No wonder he suspected she was jealous. After the Felix and Yori incidents it made sense. Somehow Camille had been able to prey off of those two recent events and use them against her. Whether it was dumb luck or prior knowledge she wasn't sure. But one thing was for certain, the girl was clearly not nearly as stupid as she made herself out to be.

The Pals rerun just didn't seem appealing to her at the moment. She was just so bored. No one on the cheer squad had asked her to do anything and Monique was at work. It was times like these that she actually wanted to get called on a mission. At least then she would feel useful and appreciated. It would also help her get her mind off of the troubling issues she was having at school and with Ron. There was a common denominator to both, and that was Camille. She had to find some way to make everyone understand that. Even if she couldn't get the cheer squad back on her side she needed Ron back. It hurt her deeply that their friendship was beginning to fracture. It hurt worse to know that he was being manipulated and toyed with, and would ultimately wind up with a broken heart.

She couldn't contain her excitement when she heard her kimmunicator begin to beep. She had to force herself to calm down before she answered it. She didn't want Wade to think she was desperate or anything.

"What's the sitch?" she answered coolly.

"Kim, we have a definite sitch here," he said hesitantly.

A tiny smile curled on her lips.

"Really? What is it this time? Ambassador in danger? Nobel Prize winner kidnapped? Hollywood star in rehab?"

"It's… the Seniors."

Her face sank with disappointment. So much for something interesting.

"What are they up to this time?"

"That's just the thing. They aren't up to anything. It turns out they've been kidnapped."

She couldn't hide the look of surprise that crossed her face. Had she heard him right? The Seniors were the ones being kidnapped this time?

"What do you mean?"

Well…" he said as he began typing rapidly. "I got a hit last night. I thought it was a joke at first so I didn't look into it right away. But I just did now. Here's what I got."

Wade uploaded the video to the kimmunicator. As it began playing, Kim saw a figure standing close to the screen and another in the background. They were both bathed in red light. But even with the poor visual conditions she could tell that it was the Seniors. The elderly man began speaking.

"Kim Possible, what I am about to do spits in the face of every villain tradition I have ever learned, but I request your help."

The room of the lair began shaking. Junior whelped in fear. The unmistakable form of Shego had just entered. She began walking directly toward the old man.

"Dr. Drakken and Shego have attacked me. Please, I need help," he said before the transmission ended. The screen went blank for a moment before Wade's face reappeared on it.

Kim just looked at him for a moment without speaking. A thousand thoughts were rushing through her mind. Was it a trap? Was it genuine? What was really going on? She couldn't answer any of them. But what she did know is that her night just got a lot more interesting.

"So… what do you think?" Wade wondered.

She blew a few strands of hair away from her face as she thought about what their next move should be. A sly grin spread across her face. Her fiery spirit could not be contained here. She needed some action.

"We're going to make a visit to the doctor's office," she said confidently.

"Are you sure about this? What if it's a trap?"

"Then we'll be ready for it. Remember what Ron-"

She stopped mid-sentence before she finished reminiscing about Ron's "trap-trap" theory. But then a new thought came to her. Maybe this was just what they needed.

"Wade?"

"Yeah Kim?"

"Ron and me are going on this mission. I think this is just what we need to reconnect."

While he was sure that she was convinced that this was a good idea, he still wasn't.

"Okay… just be careful. Be ready for anything."

"I can do anything after all. And that includes being ready for anything."

"Alright. I'll set you up with a ride. It will be there in a half hour. Plenty of time to call Ron and get him over."

"Thanks Wade," she smiled.

"No problem."

Kim placed the device down on the table after the transmission had ended. She grabbed her cell phone from her pocket as she began walking to her room to change into her mission clothes. The number on her speed dial belonged to the guy who had been there since she had received this phone. There was no way she would let anything give her a reason to remove him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron put another potato chip in his mouth as he sat on the couch watching TV. He was not alone. Camille was sitting next to him. Like most days since they had become a couple, they had spent the afternoon hanging out together. At the moment they were enjoying a lazy Thursday together.

The rerun of Pals was heartwarming. It was one of those shows that people either loved or hated, there didn't seem to be an in-between. Ron was one of those who happened to love it. Glancing over at Camille he couldn't read what her thoughts on it were. She hadn't complained or changed the channel, nor had she laughed much at the funny parts. Sometimes she just confused him too much.

That thought reminded him of another confusing matter. He still had yet to meet the young woman's parents. Usually that was a standard dating procedure. He expected them to be even harder than normal because of who she was. But he hadn't seen or heard anything about them yet. Not even a car in their garage, or any kind of personal belongings in the house. It all seemed a bit off to him.

As the show took a commercial break, Camille turned to him.

"So Ron, what are we doing tonight?"

"Not sure. You're the one with the car."

Camille smiled. She loved having the power, even if the power was as simple as choosing what they did on a given evening.

"I was thinking about this club I know."

A frown crossed Ron's face as he looked down to the floor.

"A club? But we can't drink. I doubt we could even get in because we're not old enough."

"Please," she laughed. "Those people will let me go anywhere, give me anything. It comes with the fame."

He mentally conceded the point.

"I guess…" he said softly. "Still though what would we even do there?"

"Dance of course. Don't you like dancing?"

Those words seemed to perk him up.

"Oh yeah. The Ron-man is all about dancing. I've got awesome moves."

"Then I can't wait to see them. We'll go in a few hours when the crowd gets good."

He was about to agree when he heard his phone ring. He looked over to the table it was sitting on, but Camille had already grabbed it and checked the caller ID.

She looked down at it and had to work hard to suppress a scowl. Kim Possible. Of course it was her. Who else would actually be calling him? She set it down on the arm rest on the other side of the couch.

Ron looked at her quizzically when he saw her put it down away from both of them.

"Who was it?" he wondered.

"Oh, nobody."

"Nobody? What if it's someone important? Did it say a name?"

She smiled as she moved herself closer to him.

"Trust me Ron, they weren't more important than me."

He couldn't argue her point as she put her arms around him and brought herself close to kiss him. He then wrapped his own arms around her and the two made themselves comfortable on the couch. The phone rang again, but this time no one even bothered to look up.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim leaned her head against the glass window of the small aircraft she was in. Glancing outside she saw the peaks of mountains beneath her. It wasn't right to be alone in such uncomfortable silence like she was. Normally Ron would be with her, the two of them chatting all the way to the drop point. But not this time. She sighed heavily.

She had called him not once, but twice. Neither time had he answered. Part of her didn't blame him. Camille had manipulated the situation to make her seem like the bad guy. All the fights, all the insults, all the drama, she had made it seem like Kim had started it. And seeing how the heiress was Ron's girlfriend, of course he would take her side.

A word from the pilot informed her that they were nearing the area over Drakken's lair. Questions were still swirling in hear head. Why had one villain kidnapped another? This just didn't make sense. She had to make sure she was extra careful every step of the way. She had no backup, human or mole rat. For a moment she wondered how difficult things would be without them. But then she immediately cast such thoughts from her mind. She was a Possible. And anything was possible for a Possible. Furthermore she was Kim Possible. And as her motto stated, she could do anything.

Steeling herself as she stood up, she slipped on a backpack that contained her parachute. She took a moment to clear her head. Dropping onto a mountain was dangerous. There could be no distractions or doubts.

The door opened and she took a deep breath as she looked down onto the snowy white surface of her drop zone.

"Bring it," she whispered to her inhuman foe.

She threw herself from the plane and free-fell for a few seconds before pulling the cord on her backpack. A bright red parachute opened up and her descent began to slow. It took another minute for her to finally hit the ground.

She cut the straps from her body and tossed the helmet aside. Grabbing her kimmunicator from her pocket, she saw that she wasn't too far from the point Wade had marked as an entrance. Well not so much an entrance, but it would be for her. Normal people didn't use the ventilation system.

So far so good. She had cut the grate of the ventilation duct and was crawling in the bowels of the lair. Super villains never seemed to learn that this is how she got in. They never put any kind of alarms or weapons in the HVAC shafts. It made her job a whole lot easier.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille's eyes slowly opened. It took a few moments to realize she was looking at the ceiling. She suddenly sat upright and took in her surroundings. She was still at home, still on her couch. She must have fallen asleep. But she wasn't the only one. He was still here.

She stood up and took a few steps away from the couch and shook her head to try to clear the fatigue from her brain. He didn't move. He was still sleeping. Apparently the two of them had fallen asleep together on the couch. Memories came flooding back to her. Kim had called and she had distracted him from answering his phone. There was no way she was about to let up on her attacks. She wondered how long they had been out for. Looking over at a clock she realized that it had only been about an hour.

His phone was still sitting on the table. She reached over and grabbed it before she began looking though the call history. She found the two times that Kim had called him earlier today and deleted them. After all, she had told him that it wasn't anyone important. She couldn't have him trying to think for himself on the matter.

She set the phone back down and glared at him for a few seconds. Looking to the TV she saw that Agony County was on. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat back down on the couch.

XXXXXXXXXX

Drakken's Rocky Mountain lair was not an unfamiliar place to Kim. How many times had she and Ron broken in to destroy a doomsday device or recover an important piece of technology? Too many times to remember is what she figured. She didn't even need Wade anymore to tell her what was where in the lair. She could make her way through the halls avoiding the main control room and henchmen barracks. Right now her destination was the prisoner cells.

There had been no resistance. No red-clad henchmen to knock out, no automated laser cannons, and most importantly no Shego. It would really make her day if she could do this entire operation covertly. She paused on that thought as fate intervened.

One of the larger henchmen was passing through a hall ahead of hers as he munched on a donut. He had made it past her, but then stopped and took a step backwards. He was now looking right at her.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," he said rather obviously.

He didn't seem like a smart one. She could just hear it in his voice. Kim decided that she had nothing to lose.

"No…" she said hesitantly. "This is all a dream. I'm a figment of your sleeping mind. Ignore me. Keep going where you're going."

The henchman frowned and looked down at the donut in his hand before looking back at her.

"In my dreams the donuts have sprinkles. You're Kim Possible!"

He slammed a wall-mounted alarm button with his fist. Flashing lights and wailing sirens flooded her senses. She only had precious few seconds until the entire population of the lair would come chasing after her. She had to get the Seniors and get out as soon as possible.

But first thing was first, this henchman. She ran at him and launched a powerful kick at his midsection. He doubled over in pain, but someone of his stature could not be easily knocked off his feet. He recovered quickly and swung a large, meaty fist at her head. Her eyes widened and she ducked under it only milliseconds before it would have made contact. His hand slammed into the concrete wall earning a yelp of pain from him.

Kim locked her hands together and brought them down hard on the back of his head. He stumbled forward a few feet and turned around groggily to face her. She was waiting with a fist of her own, which she smashed into his head. This finally did it, and the man slumped over against the wall out cold.

She silently cursed as she realized how much time it had taken to defeat the loafing henchman. A few seconds in any normal situation wouldn't mean much. But when a dozen men and one very angry woman are looking for you a few seconds is everything. She began running to the cells once more, but was cut off by a trio of henchmen.

"I so don't have time for this," she growled to herself.

The men began running toward her and to their surprise, she did the same thing. One of the smaller men was the first to reach her, and she kicked him in the gut causing him to fall to his hands and knees. Seeing the perfect cheerleader base, she took a step back and made a running jump onto his back and did a handspring somersault over the remaining two men. They were too awe-struck by the unexpected move to try to grab her mid-air. By the time they recovered it was too late. She was already back to sprinting down the halls to where the Seniors were held captive.

When she finally reached her destination she saw that there were four more men running in her direction. Kim saw the panel mounted on the wall next to the entrance and hit the close button hard. The sturdy metal door slid shut, much to the dismay of the henchmen outside who began pounding on it. She took her laser lipstick and destroyed the panel, hoping that it would keep them out a bit longer.

She made her way over to the only two cells that were occupied, one by Senior and one by Junior. The two villains stood from their beds and went over to the bars. Senior was ecstatic.

"Kim Possible! You actually came for us?"

Kim gripped her laser lipstick and began cutting through the lock of the elderly man's cell. The progress was painfully slow.

"Yes, but we don't have time to chat. I need to get you two out of here."

A sound took her attention away from her work. It wasn't the fists of the henchmen pounding on the door anymore. This was an all too familiar sound. It was one of green energy slicing through solid steel. Time was running out fast.

"Bad news guys. We only have one way out of here, and it's up there," she said pointing to the ventilation shaft in the ceiling.

Senior began shaking his head grimly.

"Do not waste your time on me, Ms. Possible. I am far too old and frail to ever endure such an escape," he said noting the shaft. "Please rescue my son. He is all I have now."

Kim stopped and looked at him for a brief second when she heard this. Those words didn't sound anything like the super villain that she had come to know over the past two years. No, this was simply a father wanting what was best for his son. A parent who would sacrifice himself for the good of his child. But she wouldn't have any of it.

"No Senor Senior," she said sternly. "I don't leave anyone behind on a mission. Even if they are a super villain. I'll find a way to get you out too."

She resumed the work of cutting through his lock. But she lost her grip on the device when the billionaire suddenly raised his voice. She had never heard him get angry.

"I do not care about your mission protocol!" he yelled. "That is my son and you will rescue him! Now get him out of that cell and into that shaft! Do I make myself clear?"

His intense blue eyes locked with her own. Deep down she realized that he was right, but she just didn't want to admit it. She then looked at Junior. She saw a young man who was scared. Who knows what events must have unfolded to bring him into the clutches of Dr. Drakken. She had only seen a few seconds of footage from when their lair was under attack. And from what she saw it wasn't pretty. She sighed and recovered her laser lipstick.

"Fine. But you know I'm coming back for you, right?"

A tiny grin formed on the old man's face.

"I would expect no less from you, Kim Possible."

She began cutting through the lock of Junior's cell now. The voices outside were still shouting and the sound of Shego's claws against the door was getting stronger. Apparently the doors were made of something that was giving even her a difficult time cutting through. Kim figured that Drakken didn't want anyone to be able to escape easily, even his partner in crime.

It took close to a minute to free Junior from his cell. The door swung open and he rushed out, but soon realized that he had nowhere to go. That was where Kim came into play.

Usually Rufus was the MVP on a mission. The naked mole rat had a knack for finding the right button to press or wire to chew through. But this time it would have to be her laser lipstick. It came into play once more as she cut through the grate of the HVAC shaft with ease compared to the cell lock. She stuffed it back into her pocket before pulling out her grappling gun. She carried two kinds of head variants for the projectile. One was a claw which could grasp onto bars and knobs. The other resembled a spear which could dig into concrete and metal. She swapped the claw out for the spear and aimed the gun up into the shaft. She looked over at Junior and beckoned him to come closer.

"Grab on," she told him.

He did as he was told and wrapped one of his large arms around her waist. The gun fired up into the blackness of the shaft and made contact with something a few seconds later. Kim pulled the line to make sure it was secure before pressing the button to retract the cable and pull them up into the dark unknown.

Only moments later Shego finally broke the door down and rushed into the detention area. She roared with frustration when she saw the ventilation grate on the floor and an open cell door. But her attention was soon drawn to the laughter of Senor Senior. The elderly man was sitting on his bed chuckling darkly. She approached his cell and scowled at him.

"What's so funny?" she mocked. "You're still in here at our mercy."

Senior grinned at the woman as he stood up and walked over to the bars to look her straight in the eyes.

"My son escaped with her. It won't be long now until she knows everything that we know. And that includes everything involving your friend Camille Leon. Soon Kim Possible will defeat you like she always does."

Shego's fists clenched when she heard these words. She knew he was right. It would only be a matter of time until their mole was discovered. And then all of the hard work to break up Team Possible would be for nothing. She growled and swiped at the bars with a glowing claw. Senior didn't flinch. Instead he just continued smiling.

She turned and stormed out of the room, a mocking laughter following her all the way.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim felt fortunate that Junior had been able to fit in the shaft. The way his upper body looked she wouldn't be surprised if he was on steroids. But that was another thought for another day. Right now she had to figure out why they Drakken had attacked them and why they had called her.

Once they had escaped the lair she had immediately called Wade and arranged a pickup. She was thankful that it didn't take long. The Rockies were chilly and she had not brought the proper clothes for an extended stay outdoors. At the moment they were flying back to Middleton in one of the local news helicopters. It was a favor that she couldn't even remember being owed, but she was glad to have it. She wondered how many other favors she had completely forgotten about, and wondered if Wade stored the names in some kind of database.

She looked over at Junior who was visibly worried. No doubt he was concerned for the safety of his father.

"How are you feeling, Junior?" she said with a soft smile.

His solemn eyes looked down to the floor.

"I feel terrible. Who knows what horrible things they will do to my father?"

Kim nodded in understanding. She didn't want to imagine what it would be like if her own father had been kidnapped by Drakken.

"That's something I need to ask you about. Why did Drakken attack your island? Why did he capture you and your dad?"

Junior took a deep breath before he looked up at his rescuer.

"It is because of Camille Leon," he said bitterly.

Her jaw dropped at the mention of the girl's name. The girl who had been a thorn in her side for the past two weeks, the girl who was taking Ron from her, the girl who was determined to destroy her life. How was she connected to the Seniors?

"Did you just say Camille Leon?"

"Yes."

"You're going to have to be way more specific than that."

Junior nodded.

"When you told us that someone had tried to frame father and me for the diamond heist we looked into it. We learned that Camille's family had been financially hurt by our attack on the Billionaire's Club last year. We also discovered that she had made a listing on Evil Craigslist."

Kim cut him off mid-sentence.

"I'm sorry, Evil Craigslist?" she frowned.

"Yes, it is a site where super villains ask for and offer services. Or they could just be ordinary people who want to get into the business. We discovered that Camille had an ad there offering some kind of unique talent."

"What's her unique talent?"

"Father and I believe it was some kind of… shape shifting I believe is the term."

Kim swallowed hard. It all made sense. Finally, something in her life made sense. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She stopped herself on that thought as soon as it entered her mind. Of course she wouldn't have thought of that. What kind of sane person actually believes in shape shifting? That's the kind of thing you see in comic books and bad movies based on comic books. It was perfectly reasonable for her not to even suspect that sort of thing. She had suspected clones and robots, but never a shape shifter.

A tiny laugh escaped her lips as she realized how incredibly dumb that sounded. Clones and high-level artificial intelligent robots were okay but shape shifters weren't? She suddenly felt like such a fool. In her line of work she should expect the unexpected. She should suspect the unusual or unrealistic. She had tangled with living snowmen and entered TV shows after all. This latest development seemed mundane compared to those two incidents.

She thought about what this meant. The person who posed as her at the museum, it was Camille. The person who had posed as Bonnie, Camille again. Who knows who else's image she had stolen, who knows how many other times she had tricked people into believing she was someone she was not. But it had to end now. She had to reveal the heiress for who she really was. And more importantly, she had to save Ron from her.

Junior noticed the laugh and looked at her curiously.

"What is so funny?" he wondered.

A smile formed on Kim's face. She hadn't smiled like this since Camille and Ron had started dating. A battle of emotions was raging inside her right now. On one hand she knew the full extent of the danger that she and Ron were facing now. On the other hand she knew the truth about the danger and could now use it against the blonde.

"Because I just feel so relieved," she told him. "You have no idea how much this Camille issue has been bothering me. She's been out to get me and destroy my friendship with Ron for days. And now I finally know why. Thank you, Junior."

Junior had never seen this side of Kim before. Her warm smile and heart-felt words were not something she shared with him during her missions to stop his father and him.

"Does this mean you will rescue my father from Dr. Drakken?"

The smile suddenly vanished from her face. She shot him a determined look.

"Yes Junior. Whatever they're up to, they have to be stopped. Drakken, Shego, and that blonde bimbo are all going down. They've made this way personal for both of us."

A wave of relief passed over the young man.

"I knew I could count on you. You are the blue fox after all. You are determined and will not stop until the job is done."

"Oh right, animology…" she laughed. "You were the yellow trout right?"

"Yes!" he said excitedly. "The book said that we are meant to be. But father would have none of it. He said it spat on villain tradition and disposed of the book."

"It's for the best. That stuff is a load of garbage anyway."

"But how else are you supposed to know who you are supposed to be with?"

Kim chuckled and shook her head slightly.

"You must not get off that island a lot. You're supposed to go out and date. Find people with common interests, see if there's any chemistry, all that good stuff. You can't rely on a book or anything to tell you who you should be with."

She noticed that his shoulders had slumped a little. He looked a bit deflated. Had her answer had that much of an effect on him?

"I suppose you may be right…" he trailed off.

Yup, it definitely wasn't the answer he was looking for. She would have to do her best to cheer him up.

"But look on the bright side," she smiled. "You have a lot going for you. You're young, rich, good looking… there are tons of girl who would be into a guy like you. You just have to go out and find them."

Those words seemed to perk him up a bit. At least he looked a bit happier. She couldn't tell what was going on in his mind though. But she did notice that he had referred to her as a blue fox a few times for the remainder of the flight.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was late by the time she had gotten home. She had felt obligated to wait with Junior while he called a taxi to take him to a hotel. Once the car had arrived he commented on how ugly its color was. He obviously wasn't used to public transportation. But it was his only available option right now. He didn't have a lair to go back to.

But now she had to get down to business. This new threat was closer to home than any other she had ever faced in her life. Camille had infiltrated her school, her hobbies, and her most personal relationships. First thing was first. She had to warn Ron.

She dug her kimmunicator from her pocket and contacted Wade. Unfortunately it was so late that the boy was already asleep. She saw on the screen that he was in bed and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"What's up Kim," he answered sleepily.

"Wade, we have a major sitch here. Like, sitch of the century."

Those words seemed to help wake him up. His eyes were forced open and he was fully alert.

"What is it?"

"Camille Leon is the person we've been looking for all along. It's not a robot or clone. She can shape shift or something weird like that."

The young genius took a moment to consider what he had just heard. Eventually he nodded in agreement.

"That does make sense. After all, all of this weird stuff started happening the first day she showed up at your school."

"Right," she agreed. "She's posed as me, Junior, Bonnie, and who knows how many others. And she's working with Drakken and Shego. So we know they're up to no good."

"Okay. What's our first move?"

"The first thing we do is get Ron back. He needs to know the truth about his… 'girlfriend'," she said disgustedly.

"Have you tried calling him?"

"Yes, even before I went on the mission. He's not answering."

"So what are we going to do?"

"It means I'm going to have to go to his house and tell him in person."

"I don't think his parents will like you coming over this late."

Kim grinned at the screen. She loved the feeling of having a plan that not even a super genius could guess.

"That's what's so good about being an acrobatic cheerleader, Wade," she said confidently. "I don't plan on going to his front door."

"Then what?"

"His bedroom window of course."

XXXXXXXXXX

She had felt so smug when she had spoken those words to Wade. She had thought she was so smart, so creative, so prepared. But unfortunately for her all of those feelings had now disappeared.

She stood alone in her best friend's bedroom. The lights were off and his bed was unoccupied. She didn't get it. Where could he be?

One thing she didn't want to do was go looking through his house to see if he was just getting a late night snack. It wouldn't be a good thing if his parents discovered her. Of course they trusted her, they even loved her like a daughter that they didn't have. But the idea of someone breaking into your home was unappealing no matter who it was. She would have to contact Wade again.

She leapt down from his second story window and landed in a neat crouch. She stood up and whipped her kimmunicator out once more.

"Wade, we've run into a problem," she told him.

"What's wrong?"

"He's not here."

"He's what?"

"He's not in his room. And I'm not about to go sneaking through his house to see if he's in another room."

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds kinda bad. When was the last time you talked to him?"

"Earlier at school. We kind of had a little… um, fight."

"About what?"

"About Camille freakin' Leon," she spat. "That little witch has him wrapped completely around her finger."

Wade couldn't hide the look of displeasure on his face after learning all about who the celebrity really was.

"So I guess he probably won't be taking your calls," he concluded.

"Right. So I need you to track him down."

He knew what that meant. He would be locating him with the tracking chip that only the two of them were aware of.

"Alright. Hold on while I bring up his location on GPS."

Kim saw him turn to his computer and began typing away furiously. She wondered how many words he typed per minute. The boy's fingers moved so fast that she couldn't follow them. If he ever decided to take a break from his genius thing he could make an excellent secretary.

A few moments later his face was replaced with a digital map of Middleton. The screen scrolled until a bright red dot was seen blinking on it. That dot was Ron. According to the street names the appeared on the screen he was in downtown Middleton. What could he be doing there at an hour like this?

The screen divided into two halves as Wade reappeared on the top and the map was shrunk to the bottom.

"Where exactly is he?" Kim asked.

"According to the address he's at…"

Kim noticed his hesitation. Hesitation from Wade was never a good thing.

"What is it?"

"Kim, he's at a nightclub."

She could feel her teeth grinding when she realized what this meant. There was no way Ron would go to a nightclub on his own, on a school night, at this time of night. In fact there was no way he would even be let into one, he was only seventeen. The name that she just hated to hear came into her thoughts once more.

"He's with Camille," she said matter of factly.

Wade nodded in agreement. It was the only logical explanation, though these days it seemed as if logical explanations were becoming ever more illogical. But it was all they had to go on at the moment. His gut told him they were right though.

"What's the plan then? Do we go in and rescue him?"

Kim shook off the idea.

"The last thing we need right now is to show up in the middle of the night and crash his… date…" she struggled to say. "And then there would be the matter of explaining to him how we found him. I hated having to lie to him about the tracking chip. But I just don't know how to even begin telling him that we put one in him without his knowledge."

"Then we wait until he gets home?"

"No, I can't be out much longer. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow at school where I can get him alone."

Wade knew she was right. But he hated having to sit and wait for the moment to arrive. And he knew that she felt the same way. However they had to approach this the right way. It was a delicate matter after all.

"I'll keep you informed tomorrow morning at school," she told him.

"Alright Kim. Just try to get some sleep for now. We need you to have a clear head tomorrow for this whole mess."

"Right. Good night."

She shut off the device and put it back in her pocket. She had some time to think about everything she had learned in the past few hours during her walk home. No villain had ever made this as personal as Drakken had this time. She had to remember that. This wasn't just Camille. It wasn't just some high school plot she was trying to foil. Drakken had stolen a diamond. Drakken had destroyed the Senior's island and kidnapped them. She had to learn what the full extent of his plan was. And the first step to uncovering it was by getting information out of her newest high school nemesis.

Unfortunately sleep did not come easily for her. She laid in bed for several hours that night. She was wide awake from the stress and worrying that was consuming her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille was in one of the girl's restrooms before school started Friday morning. She was carefully touching up some of the makeup she had already applied earlier at home. She looked into the mirror and thought about how well the blue eye shadow made her own icy blue eyes look. She put the small case and brush back into her purse and took out some light pink lipstick. After a few seconds she puckered her lips and admired her work. She hadn't even heard the other girl enter.

A hand gripped the front of her shirt tightly and she was slammed forcefully against a wall. Her lipstick tube and purse crashed on the bathroom floor. She wanted to scream, but a second hand covered her mouth. Her eyes went wide in fear as she saw who her attacker was. Honestly it was the last person she would have expected.

Kim did not look pleased. Emerald orbs stared into her with pure hatred. Camille began to struggle to try to get free, but the iron grip of the teen heroine would not let go. Kim was supposed to be one of the good guys. Good guys didn't go around manhandling innocent civilians. Unless…

Finally Kim spoke.

"I'm done playing games with you," she snarled. "And I'm tired of all the lies and manipulation. You've made this more personal than you can possibly imagine."

The normally calm and collected Camille was struggling to speak. She was always in control. She was always the aggressor. To be in this position was something she was not used to. She felt weak and helpless. But she did her best to reply to the enraged redhead.

"What are you talking about?" she asked softly. "Have you finally snapped?"

"I said I'm done playing games!" Kim said as she tightened her grip on Camille's shirt. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

"If this is about Ron you seriously need help. Stop being jealous because I'm his-"

Kim cut her off before she could say the word that might send her over the edge.

"You're using him to get to me and you know it!"

"I don't know what you're-"

"Stop lying!"

The anger in Kim's voice was very real. So was the fear in Camille's heart. She knew that she couldn't lie her way out of this situation. Kim was fuming. She must have discovered the truth. There was only one way out of this.

"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Kim's eyes widened in surprise and she instantly let go of Camille's shirt. She instinctively took a step backwards. It took only a few seconds for a few other girls to come in the bathroom. Unfortunately for Kim a pair of cheerleaders was among them.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked.

Tears began welling in Camille's eyes. She ran and hid behind the newly arrived girls.

"Kim… Kim attacked me!" she said fearfully. For once she wasn't lying.

The girls looked and saw Camille's possessions on the floor. They saw Camille's shirt and knew it wasn't supposed to look like it did. But the most compelling piece of evidence was the guilty look on Kim's face.

"Kim?" Hope asked in an almost scared tone. She didn't want to believe the accusation.

"It's… it's not what it looks like…" was all Kim could come up with.

"You have serious problems!" Camille cried.

"Don't believe a word she says," Kim warned the other girls. "She's been manipulating and lying to everyone to make me look like the bad guy."

"Are you okay Camille?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, just a bit shaken up…" the other blonde said softly.

"I don't have time for this. Has anyone seen Ron?" Kim asked the group.

None of the girls answered. They either didn't know where he was or didn't feel like talking to her at the moment.

"Alright, thanks anyway."

Kim left the bathroom quickly. She had to find Ron and tell him the truth about Camille. But as she looked at one of the clocks she realized he could be anywhere. Usually he didn't go to his locker to get his books until around ten minutes before his first class started. But she knew he was here. They hadn't walked to school together, so he must have gotten a ride from Camille.

Camille thanked the girls for their help as she too left in a hurry. She reached into her purse and took out a small envelope. It was a gift from Shego. She thought about how much of a freak the older woman was. She called her almost every other day demanding to know how the plan was going. Why did she even care anyway? She was a sidekick. Drakken was the one with the plan.

And then she had given her this note to be the coup de grace. She would have liked to have waited a bit longer before using it, but she had no choice. Kim obviously knew the truth about her. Action had to be taken now. Their separation had to become permanent.

She went to Ron's locker and slipped the envelope through one of the thin slits at the top. Now all she had to do was wait.

XXXXXXXXXX

Right on schedule.

Kim saw Ron standing at his locker with about ten minutes until they had Latin class together. She ran down the hall so they would have as much time as possible to talk. As she grew nearer she saw that he was reading a piece of paper. His face was a mask of confusion and sorrow. She wondered if it was another bad Latin test. She would be sure to joke about it later.

"Ron!" she said as she neared him. "Ron I need to tell you something very important and I need you to trust and believe me."

He lowered the piece of paper and looked at her.

"Is this true?" he asked cryptically.

"What?"

"Is what this says true?"

He handed her the piece of paper. She took it and read it. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Kim and Wade put a tracking chip inside you…" she whispered to herself.

She looked up at him and noticed the very serious expression on his face. All thoughts of joking about his Latin test instantly vanished from her mind. She felt a horrible feeling of anxiety building up inside her.

"Ron I need to tell you something," she repeated.

"Is it true?" he asked again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. She had to tell him the truth.

"Yes Ron, it's true. But I can explain."

"You and Wade have been tracking me? How long ago did you do this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Look Ron that's not important right now. I found out last night that Camille is working for Drakken."

A cruel, almost mocking laugh came out of his mouth. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"You call my girlfriend names. You put a freakin' tracking chip in me. And to top it all off, you tell me that my girlfriend is working with a super villain?"

"I know how bad this must sound, and I know how much you must think I'm lying, but-"

"There is no satellite is there," he said accusingly.

"No Ron," she admitted. "There's no satellite."

He leaned against his locker and rested his head against it.

"I can't believe this…" he sighed. "How could you do this to me?"

"Look Ron, the chip really isn't important right now. We have to do something about Camille."

"No Kim, I don't need to do anything. You have some serious jealousy issues. Jill was right. This is all about power and control. The tracking chip just proves that you want to know what I'm doing and where I am at all times."

"No, the tracking chip was to make sure that you're safe. You have a habit of getting into trouble."

"Yeah whatever. It still doesn't change the fact that you're totally jealous of Camille. I can't believe you would stoop this low, that you would actually call her a super villain."

Neither of the teens had noticed that Monique was next to them. She had been standing there for several seconds not saying a word, just listening to the conversation that she had come in the middle of. She was trying to piece together what was going on.

"That's because she is a super villain, Ron!" Kim said angrily. "She's some kind of freaky shape shifter or something. She's the one who posed as me on the mission, and as Junior and Bonnie too."

"Are you even listening to yourself? You sound like a conspiracy nut."

"I can prove it. I can prove Camille is an evil liar."

"I'm a what now?"

The three turned to see Camille walking toward them. When she reached Ron's side she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss.

Monique saw Kim's clenched fists and moved in front of her friend.

"Calm down Kim, she isn't worth it. Don't get expelled over her."

"I wouldn't put it past her," Camille commented. "This… Amazon grabbed me earlier in the bathroom and started yelling at me."

Ron glared at his best friend when he heard this.

"I think we need to take a break," he said sternly. "After all this plus lying about the tracking chip I just can't be around you right now. We both need time to clear our heads."

"Don't you see Ron? Look what she's doing to us. She's tearing us apart."

"No Kim. You've done that all by yourself."

He and Camille turned and walked away from Kim and Monique. They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Monique turned to face her friend.

"You're going to have to tell me everything later."

Kim couldn't bring herself to speak right now. She merely nodded.

"And who's this Jill girl he's mentioned twice now?" Monique added.

She shrugged. Whoever Jill was, she wasn't important right now.


	11. Let's Do The Time Warp Again

Authors Note: Yay for a quick update. What can I say, I was feeling inspired this week. As always, thanks to everyone who is interested in the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Time travel. It's a cornucopia of disturbing concepts." _

_~Ron Stoppable_

XXXXXXXXXX

The weather was really beginning to warm up these days. It was especially apparent at night, as it used to get cold in Middleton. Spring was truly making its presence felt on this late April evening as Ron and Camille exited the movie theater. Both were wearing short sleeve shirts. Ron would have liked it to have been a bit colder. Then he could have offered his jacket to his chilly girlfriend like a true gentleman.

But he knew that he honestly couldn't complain about that minor detail. It had been a wonderful evening. The date had started by going out to dinner at a nice restaurant. It wasn't anything that would drain his limited funds, but it was much classier than Bueno Nacho. After that they had seen the newest spy thriller movie. He was a bit surprised that it was the movie Camille had wanted to see. He would have expected his girlfriend to want to see one of the cardboard cutout chick flicks that guys seemed to dread. But he was pleased to learn that she had no interest in that genre on this night. They had both got what they had wanted, and the movie did not disappoint.

Camille wrapped an arm around one of his own as they strode down the sidewalk away from the theater. There were still plenty of people crowding the way as they too were looking to either enter or exit the building. Some people realized who she was and stared at her, while others simply didn't know or didn't care enough to react.

Ron felt the tiniest bit of self-consciousness as he realized that people were not only looking at her, but him as well. He did his best to shut it out and focus on the warmth of her body against his. It felt so wonderful when she was affectionate like this. He had been waiting for feelings like this all his life. It was perfect. Almost perfect. He had grown apart from his best friend in the process. No, not grown apart. Kim had done everything herself. Kim had been the one to push him away.

He still couldn't wrap his head around the things that Kim had said the prior day. Camille is a liar. Camille is evil. Camille is working for Dr. Drakken. He almost felt sorry for Kim. Had her jealousy really had this deep of an impact on her? She had never called Felix a super villain. Granted, she had accused Yori of working with Monkey Fist. So perhaps there was a case precedent here for that kind of accusation. That made him feel much better. They had gotten through that when he proved that Yori was an ally. Now all he had to do was convince her that Camille was okay.

But then there was the whole tracking chip issue. He dismissed the thought. He was on a date right now. He didn't even want to think about that at the moment. Luckily Camille was there to help distract him from such ugly thoughts.

"That was a really awesome movie," she said.

"Seriously, it was," he agreed. "That chick could do some amazing things with those knives."

"Totally. And who doesn't love a hot blonde CIA agent?"

Ron smiled when he heard her refer to the female lead as "hot". Sometimes Camille was so blunt and unconventional. He knew that Kim would never refer to the gorgeous Australian actress as "hot". His girlfriend was just as capable of being one of the guys as she was a beauty queen.

"And I suppose I have a soft spot for the fact that she got together with the dorky computer guy," he added.

"Oh? Do go on, Mr. Stoppable."

"Just kinda reminds me of us."

Camille looked up at him with a curious smirk. She waited for him to continue.

"I mean, look at you and look at me. You're this beautiful, rich, popular girl. I'm some random guy from Middleton. And yet for some reason you chose to be with me."

She made an exaggerated sigh as she continued to smile at him.

"Don't you remember anything I've told you about karma?"

"I remember that you said I was a good guy, and that good things would happen to me."

"And?"

Ron considered what she meant for a moment.

"And now the beautiful, rich, popular girl is dating me. Is that really all karma?"

"Well it's not all karma. I mean, there is the fact that I like you too."

"Right. I don't think you would be going out with me if you didn't like me at least a little bit."

Camille gave no reaction to what he just said. Instead she continued speaking about karma.

"See what happened with Brick?" she asked him. "He got dumped by Bonnie. And then Bonnie gets suspended from school. That's karma at work. They got what was coming to them. And so did you."

"Yeah, that's pretty incredible what happened to those two. I don't think they'll be getting back together a week later like they usually do. I wonder what they'll do for prom."

Camille suddenly began to shift uncomfortably. Ron noticed it immediately and knew something was wrong.

"Camille?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… it's just…" she said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Prom."

"Oh. Yeah I don't know what they'll do for it if they're not dating. But you know what, who cares about them. Like you said, they got what was coming to them."

"No, not about them. About us."

"Oh," he said as he realized what she was talking about. "Oh…"

"I've never actually been to a prom. I've been home schooled all my life up until this year when I was in Paris and New York. And since I'm a senior this will be my last chance to go to one."

Ron may have been a little slow when it came to girls, but not this time. He could read loud and clear what she was getting at. He would have had to have been a complete idiot not to. Prom was only around a month away now. No time would be better to ask this.

"Camille, would you like to go to prom with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled. "Of course I'll go with you."

She wrapped an arm around him and he did the same with her. Despite the weather not being too cool, it felt good. For a second she lost herself in the moment. But the moment was shattered when she heard a cruel voice.

"Talentless bimbo…"

The pair stopped and turned as the man who had just uttered those words walked past them. He turned his head to see what Camille's reaction would be, and saw the two teens looking right back at him.

"What's your problem?" Ron asked.

"Whatever man. Enjoy your ride on her while you can. Everyone else did…"

"Dude, I don't care how you see her on TV. Apologize to her."

Camille displayed a little bit of worry on her face. Usually the only time she had to deal with her haters was when she was making some kind of public appearance. And in those instances she had several beefy bodyguards near her. It wasn't like anyone had ever tried to harm her, but the security felt nice. And she knew there was no way Ron would be able to take this man on if things got physical.

The stranger looked amused. He was in his mid twenties and was bigger than Ron in both height and weight.

"And if I don't?"

Ron knew he was doing something stupid. But love makes you do stupid things. If he wound up with a black eye or bloody nose it would be worth it. He had to stand up for himself. His encounter with Big Mike had shown him that. But more importantly he had to stand up for his girlfriend. He did his best to sound brave and confident.

"I said apologize," he said as seriously as possible.

The man balked at Ron's response. He was sure that his size alone would be enough to intimidate the younger man. But apparently it wasn't going to be that easy. Instead he just huffed and turned to walk away.

"Whatever, I'm sorry. You two aren't worth the time," he said as he strode off toward the movie theater.

Ron didn't realize that his fists had been balled up in readiness for a fight. But after it was over he looked down and saw them clenched. He also noticed his heart was thumping in his chest. He began to ease up once the man had gotten a few yards away. But his fight or flight state of mind was still present. He jumped when he felt arms wrap around his torso.

"Ron you were so brave," Camille gushed.

He was still having a hard time believing that the man had simply walked off.

"Yeah… I seriously don't know what I was thinking there."

"Don't be so modest. I call you my hero for a reason. And you just proved it again."

"I seriously thought that guy was going to knock me out."

"But he didn't, you made him back down. And you did it for me. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's what any guy would have done."

"Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that you're one of the good guys out there."

Ron smiled at the compliment. He was a good guy, wasn't he? The whole world saving thing would say he was. He tried to be as nice as he could to anyone he met. He was as chivalrous as they came.

"So the night's still young," Camille continued. "What are we doing next?"

"I dunno. Did you have fun at that club the other night?"

"Totally. And you were right, you do have some nice moves."

"Thanks. So want to go there again?"

"Sure."

They made their way back to Camille's Porsche. As they walked Camille couldn't help but think of her cover. He was so easy to manipulate, so easy to convince that they were a real couple. Their relationship was as real as the spies had made theirs seem in the movie they had just seen. She sighed inwardly.

"_Why do you have to be so damn nice?"_ her mind lamented.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Monique exited the theater after seeing the latest romantic comedy. It had been a tough decision though, as the new spy thriller looked good as well. But in the end the two friends had decided to see it the following week. But there was no way that either of them could say they were disappointed with tonight's choice. It may have been more of the same overused plot, but it was still very enjoyable.

The two teens started walking back toward Monique's car. Despite the wave of comedy and laughter that had passed over her this evening, Kim still couldn't help but feel distracted. Her mind was occupied on other things, and for good reason. Her best friend since pre-K was dating a super villain. And every time she tried to help and make things better she only made things worse. That was perhaps the most painful part of the entire ordeal.

She felt incredibly fortunate to have Monique as a friend. She and Ron were her two closest friends. Along with Felix they were really the only people she considered to be true, genuine friends. Of course she had many other friends and acquaintances, but none of them were close to being on the same level.

"Feel like hitting Bueno Nacho?" Monique asked.

Kim didn't respond.

"Kim?"

Kim suddenly looked up and over at Monique. She smiled uncomfortably when she realized that her friend had spoken to her.

"Sorry Monique. Just a bit distracted."

"About Ron?"

"About Ron."

Monique sighed. She couldn't blame her.

"What's your next move?"

"I really don't know. How do I convince the guy who doesn't trust me to believe me?"

"Sorry," Monique frowned. "That I can't help you with."

"I know. That little witch has been feeding him lies for days now. She's been messing with his mind about me being jealous. It's like everything she was doing was leading up to yesterday."

"She's not the only one."

Kim looked at her curiously expecting an explanation.

"Remember Jill?"

"Oh right…" Kim said as she thought about it for a moment. "Jill…"

"Why would this girl who we've never even met be telling him that you're trying to control him?"

Kim hadn't thought of it on Friday. Her emotions had been in shambles then. The mention of some random girl didn't trigger any alarms for her. But now that she had time to consider it, it made sense. Why would some strange, random girl be saying bad things about her to Ron? Why would she be planting seeds of doubt in his mind?

"I'll tell you why. Because she's another one of Camille's faces."

Monique nodded in agreement.

"Of course we'll have to do a little research before we go making accusations like that. I'll ask everyone I know if they've ever heard of this Jill person. Don't worry, we'll find out what's really going on."

Kim let out a heavy sigh. Waiting until Monday would be hard. But it was the best they could do right now.

"Thanks Monique. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Monique laughed.

"I could think of a few scenarios right now. But I don't know if you want to hear them, they aren't pretty."

Kim chuckled as they reached the car.

"So, Bueno Nacho?" Monique asked again.

"Sounds good. I'm starving."

They drove off toward one of their favorite hangout spots. All along the way Kim thought about how Ron should be with them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Things had gotten back to normal in the lair since Kim escaped with Junior. The guards resumed their regular patrols, Drakken resumed his normal ranting, and Shego resumed her usual, well, laziness. It was one of the perks of working for Dr. Drakken. Everyone there feared her. They could never tell her what to do. So she spent most of her days doing whatever she wanted.

However lately she was getting a bit bored. He supposedly had some brilliant plan in progress which began with the breakup of Team Possible. And according to Camille's latest report it was all but complete. The fact that Ron had not tagged along on the mission was proof of it. So Shego wondered what her employer was waiting for.

She strode through the hall on her way to where she knew Drakken would be, the main control room. He was always there fiddling with some sort of invention or browsing the internet for something new to steal. Honestly she thought the guy needed a life outside of villainy. And the Friday night karaoke of course. She didn't know why she bothered to tag along as often as she did. Maybe she enjoyed watching him make a fool of himself. But more often than not the crowd seemed to like him. It boggled her mind.

And there he was. But rather than doing one of the things she was expecting, he was sitting at the table writing something on a piece of paper. She walked over to it and took a seat, resting her legs up on the table. She took out a nail file and began going to work on her fingers as she began chatting with him.

"So Dr. D, what are you writing there?"

He didn't bother looking up from his work when he answered.

"I hold here the next phase of my plan for world domination," he explained.

She stopped her own work and looked at him continue to scribble away.

"Mind sharing with the class?"

"Why yes, I think I will," he said as he finished writing. "This morning I discovered a new posted note on my computer monitor. I was extremely tired after the karaoke last night, so it's no wonder I don't even remember writing it down."

"Uh huh. Tired. Let's not forget about all those appletinis you guzzled before you sang. So what does the note say?"

"It was just my latest brilliant idea. And it's close by too."

She didn't even try to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Can you be any vaguer? Just tell me already."

"Very well Shego," he said as he stood up. He held the piece of paper in front of him. "Tonight we will be making a trip to the Tri-City museum. And we will steal a very ancient, valuable artifact from it."

"Oh goody. Museum junk," she sighed. "And just how does this help us take over the world?"

Drakken paused. He looked down at the paper before looking back at her.

"Look it just does, okay?"

"You don't know what it does, do you?"

"I don't have to know what it does. It was my idea so it must be brilliant."

"Okay whatever. Calm down. What's the thing called?"

"It's name, Shego, is the Tempus Simia idol."

While Shego did not speak Latin, she had heard the word simia before. Right, it was from simian. She frowned when she thought about what that had to mean. Monkeys. She hated normal monkeys enough. But if monkeys were involved it would probably mean that Monkey Fist would come into the picture at some point in the future.

"Monkeys… great…" she groaned.

"Yes, I've printed out a picture of what it looks like. The internet truly does have everything on it."

He handed her a picture of the Tempus Simia idol. In the picture it was in a glass display case on a pillar. She noticed an anomaly with it.

"Uh Dr. D? It has no head."

"Yes, I suppose we'll have to figure out why. That means we have to find-"

"Please don't let the next two words out of your mouth be Monkey Fist."

"Very well. We'll have to find Monty Fiske."

Shego actually laughed at that.

"Touché. Even I have to admit that was nice."

"Quite. Now then if there are no further questions what do you say we make a trip to the museum?"

She looked back down at the picture. Honestly she had nothing better to do tonight. Might as well steal this thing if it means that much to him.

"Okay. Let's go steal us a headless monkey statue."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Monique were still at Bueno Nacho when they heard the familiar sound of the kimmunicator beeping. Kim retrieved it from her pocket and answered the call.

"What's the sitch?" she asked.

"Robbery in progress. Someone's breaking into the Tri-City museum."

"I'm on it."

She shut it off and stuffed it back into her pocket. There was no time to go home and change, she had to get to the museum right now. Of course that meant leaving Monique behind on their night out.

"Sorry Monique, duty calls…" she said sadly.

"No worries Kim. You go do your thing and kick some butt."

"Thanks for understanding."

She stood and went to leave the restaurant before stopping herself and looking back at her friend.

"Hey Monique… think I can get a lift to the museum?"

"Absolutely. Looks like our night isn't over quite yet."

"Yeah, but I don't want you coming in with me to the museum. It's way too dangerous."

"No arguments here."

They rushed out of Bueno Nacho and into Monique's car. It took about fifteen minutes to reach the Tri-City museum. Kim was mentally preparing herself for it the entire way. She had to be ready for anyone, ready for anything. Once again she would have no backup. She knew that if she called Ron that he either wouldn't answer like last time, or would just flat out refuse. And she couldn't possibly ask Monique to join her. She was untrained and would be more of a liability than an asset.

Kim at least hoped that it would be an opponent she was familiar with. Then again tangling with someone like Max Brigand might not be too bad. If all the small-time villains were as inept as him then her job would be easy. But still, she would much rather face a known foe. At least then she would know what to expect.

The car stopped in front of the museum and Kim opened the door to get out.

"Thanks for the ride Monique."

"No problem. Go get 'em."

Kim grinned.

"Will do."

She rushed up the steps and to the front door. She found that it was intact. That means whoever was inside must have gotten in another way. Knowing that museums had all kinds of sensors and alarms for their doors and windows, she figured it must have been the roof. No matter, she liked climbing stuff.

She brought out her grappling gun and shot over the roof. After making sure it was secure she pulled herself up and saw a large hole carved into one of the windows. Apparently these were gifted with the same luxuries that the other windows enjoyed. Whoever entered through this window had triggered an alarm which had alerted Wade. The local police would no doubt be here in a few minutes.

This would have to be done carefully. Kim wrapped the head of her grappling projectile and line around a sturdy metal pole and lowered herself into the museum. Even with the dim lights inside the building it was still dark. But it wasn't dark enough that she couldn't see the movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned swiftly only to see that the person was no longer there. Whoever it was, they were stalking her.

Kim slowly and cautiously began walking through the museum. With every step she took she looked around her, watching for the hidden assailant. She continued on for another minute or two, her paranoia growing with each second. Eventually she reached an exhibit and saw another shape in the darkness. As she grew closer she actually felt relieved to see that it was Dr. Drakken. Already it felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I never thought I'd actually say this, but I'm so relieved to see you," she told the mad scientist.

"Kim Possible!" he yelled in surprise.

"Yes. Kim Possible. Why do you always sound so surprised to see me?"

"Oh be quiet. You teenagers these days with your sass and backtalk. It all gets so-"

"Hate to cut you off there. Well, actually I don't. But what exactly are you doing here?"

She looked at him holding what looked like a small stone statue. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but if he wanted it then it was important.

"None of your business. How did you even see me here in the dark?"

"A ninja you're not."

"But she is."

Out of the corner of her eye Kim saw a green flash and was just able to dodge out of its path. Green energy scorched the tiled floor of the museum as she landed a couple feet away from the blast. The menacing form of Shego came into view.

"So tell me Kimmie, don't you have anything better to do on your Saturday nights than hang out in a museum by yourself?"

"I know!" Drakken agreed. "First it was her Friday nights with Cousin Ed and me. And now this?"

"Yeah," Shego laughed. "It just screams loser." She turned her attention back to Kim. "Don't you have any friends? Oh wait. I must have hit a nerve there. I heard that you actually got dumped by your sidekick."

Kim growled when she heard them talk about her and Ron's friendship. Though it wasn't a surprise that they knew about it considering that they were the ones employing Camille.

"If you have to know, you interrupted my night out with another friend of mine," she said in her defense. "And for that you'll both pay."

"Yeah, blah blah blah. Too much chatter on your end," Shego taunted her. "Are we going to do this or not?"

Kim thought about how they were the ones behind everything that had happened between her and Ron. Was she ready? Oh yeah, she was more than ready. Unleashing days of anger and frustration on them would be cathartic. She dropped into a combat stance as she faced off with Shego.

"Bring it," she said to her female foe.

Shego smiled as she picked up a small vase from another exhibit close to them.

Kim eyed her cautiously, not knowing what she was doing. This was the part of the mission where they were supposed to fight. What was she… oh no.

Shego threw the vase in a high arc over Kim's head. The way she threw it gave the teen hero more than enough time to run backwards to catch it. But that was the idea. Waste as much time as possible. As soon as the vase was airborne Drakken began rushing back toward the room where they had entered from the ceiling. At the same time Shego ignited her hands and ran at Kim.

She caught the vase easily enough, but had to turn suddenly to see two glowing claws slashing at her. Not only did she have to protect her body, but the priceless vase as well. Doing one of them was difficult enough against her dangerous opponent, but two was working overtime. She struggled to block and evade every blow she could without putting the vase in harm's way. Eventually Shego managed to land a solid kick to her midriff which sent her staggering backwards.

Once there was a bit of separation between the two of them Kim was able to set the vase on the ground and look back up at her foe. But Shego wasn't where she had last seen her. Her eyes darted around the dark room searching for any sign of the villainous vixen. A single glowing green hand revealed the location.

"Catch!" she shouted.

Shego sent a small sculpture in Kim's direction. Again she was forced to run backwards in order to catch the valuable piece of art. And again Shego attacked her as she did so. Punch after punch, kick after kick were sent her way. Kim was helpless against it all. She took a hard fist to the face and stumbled backwards a bit, but held onto the sculpture all the way. She tried countering with kicks of her own, but Shego was more than capable of defending against the half-hearted attacks.

In response the older woman dropped down and swept Kim's legs from under her. Kim landed flat on her back as she clutched the sculpture to her chest. After the initial moment of shock had passed she set the item on the ground and got up as quickly as she could. Trying to pierce the darkness she once more searched for Shego. Tense seconds passed, but she did not reappear like last time. She must have used the time to run away and rejoin Drakken in escaping.

Kim snarled in frustration. They had gotten away, she had failed. Doing missions solo was an incredibly arduous task. She never realized how valuable Ron was to the team until now. If he had been here then Drakken would not have been able to get away. Either that or he would have been able to catch the flying objects while she focused her full attention on fighting Shego.

She rushed back to the room she had come through to discover that there was no sign of the villainous duo. This made her life a whole lot more difficult. Now not only did she have to rescue Senor Senior Sr., but retrieve a valuable work of art as well. To make it worse she would have to do it alone. And after this night she did not enjoy the thought of doing another solo mission.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was slow to get up Sunday morning. She wasn't having any problems physically that prevented her from waking up. Rather she was emotionally drained. With everything that was going on in her life she was feeling an incredible amount of stress and worry. Even when she knew what she was going up against she still couldn't help but think about her friendship with Ron. And then there was the fact that she had failed in her mission the previous evening. She wasn't used to failure. It didn't leave a good taste in her mouth.

She replayed the events in her mind over and over again as she tried to fall asleep that night. She was trying to think of something she could have done differently. Only one thing stood out to her, and that was that she could have let Shego break the priceless pieces of art that she was so carelessly throwing in her direction. But if that was the case and she did end up saving whatever Drakken had stolen, would the collateral damage be worth it? Was the safety of one object worth the destruction of so many others? She realized that the answer was no. She had made the right call. She could always recover what had been stolen. But she could never recreate the shattered works from hundreds, or even thousands of years ago.

She once more thought about why she had failed. She had failed because Ron wasn't with her. She reasoned that was why Drakken and Camille had put so much effort into breaking them up. Without him she was vulnerable on a mission. Like it or not, he and Rufus contributed to the success of Team Possible just as much as she did. Without them Shego had been able to distract her while Drakken got away. That settled it. She needed a partner. At least temporarily until she got Ron back. And she couldn't get him back until she defeated Drakken.

But she couldn't ask Monique for the reasons she had come up with last night. Monique wasn't trained, and would make an ideal hostage for someone like Shego or Monkey Fist. She needed someone with at least some training. Team Impossible was the first to come to mind, but she honestly couldn't stand to be around them. Besides, they had their own gig. And the thought of Will Du teaming with her was insufferable. Plus it was unlikely that Dr. Director would just hand him over if she asked.

That was when an unusual thought came to her. Granny Crocket's cookies. Kim had been shocked to learn that Shego had teamed up with Junior of all people. Not only that, but the young man was actually somewhat competent and skilled once he was working with Shego. He had been more than a match for Ron in terms of physical ability.

She considered the thought for a moment. Could she actually call Junior and ask him to be her temporary sidekick? Would he even want to do so? She reasoned that he would agree to it if it meant he could help rescue his father. But would he continue even after that was done? There was only one way to find out.

Kim called the hotel he was at and asked for the room he was staying in. After being on hold for a couple minutes the wealthy super villain answered.

"Yes who is this?" he answered.

She decided she wouldn't comment on the weirdness of his greeting.

"Um, hey Junior. It's Kim."

"Kim Possible?"

"Yes. How many other Kim's know you're staying at that hotel?"

A brief period of silence passed after her question. She figured he couldn't answer in a way that made him look good.

"Have you rescued my father?" he asked.

"No. But that's actually one of the reasons I'm calling. Junior, I need your help."

More silence. She believed this time it was more due to the shock of her asking for his help.

"How can I help you?"

"I kinda need a sidekick. And you're the only person I can think of to do the job."

"A sidekick? You mean like how I was Shego's sidekick last year?"

"Exactly like that. Do you still remember all the stuff she taught you?"

"You mean coming up with a villainous plan?"

"No no, not that part. We're not doing any villainous plans."

"Oh. Well I do remember that if we ever need it."

Kim smiled and shook her head. Sometimes she didn't know what that boy was thinking.

"Junior, I was talking more about the martial arts training she gave you. You know, the stuff you used on Ron?"

"Oh yes. I believe I can still do that."

"Good. So do you want to be my sidekick?"

"If it means getting to rescue my father from Dr. Drakken, yes."

Kim mouthed the word "yes!" as she pumped her fist in celebration. She was so happy that he couldn't see her right now. She herself was surprised by how happy she was that he had said yes. Then again he was her only option. If he had said no, there would be nowhere else to turn for aid.

"Okay good. We're not going to go today though. I'll fill you in on the details later. I'm going to need you to start practicing your moves again and do some exercises. We need to be in top shape when we go up against Drakken and Shego."

"Do not worry. My physique is already in top form."

Kim couldn't argue that point. She wondered again if he was doing some kind of steroids. His torso just didn't look natural.

"Right. Okay, thanks for doing this Junior. I'll call you when I come up with a plan."

"Very well. Goodbye, blue fox."

He hung up leaving her a bit confused. There was that blue fox stuff again. She set her phone down on the bed and let her head fall back down on her pillow. As she stared at the ceiling she wondered what she was going to do for a plan. She wondered what Drakken's next move would be. She had to remember that he had some sort of plot in motion. He was going to be going on the offensive just as much as she was. She had to stay on her toes and be ready for anything. Anything less than that could be catastrophic for not only her, but the world as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

Drakken sat at the table in his lair looking at the Tempus Simia idol. It had not done anything. He didn't know what he had expected it to do, but it was more than this. It sat on the table, silently mocking him. At least that's the impression he was getting. He didn't know why he had written down to get it. He couldn't even remember doing it. But it was obvious that he did, right?

He had spent the better part of the day on the internet searching for the meaning of the object. There had been a lot of strange sites out there that dealt with all kinds of mystical powers and conspiracies. Some of them had even said that the idol granted the power of time travel. He dismissed such notions as nonsense. As if this little stone monkey could allow someone to travel the time stream. He decided that he would have to call Monkey Fist to see if he knew what the thing did.

Looking through his villain's rolodex he flipped to the "M" section. Eventually he found the number he was looking for and dialed it. He honestly didn't even know if Monkey Fist was still in prison. If he was that would be a whole new set of problems. He was relieved when someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Yes, um, is this Monkey Fist?"

The voice suddenly turned dark.

"Who wants to know?"

"This is Dr. Drakken. I'm looking for Monkey Fist."

"Oh… Dr. Drakken…" he said bitterly. "How _delightful_ to hear from you."

The mad scientist knew that Monkey Fist was not particularly pleased to hear his voice. He couldn't understand why though. They had only ever met briefly at the annual Super Villain Trade Show and Convention. Maybe it was just how the Englishman acted toward everyone.

"I'm calling because I have something which may be of interest to you."

"And what might that be?"

"Have you ever heard of the Tempus Simia idol?"

There was a brief pause. For a moment Drakken thought he had hung up.

"Did you just say the Tempus Simia?" Monkey Fist said with hushed reverence.

"Yes, but I can't figure out-"

"I'll be right there."

"Wait, what?"

"I will board my private jet and come to America. You can expect me to arrive tomorrow morning."

"But you still haven't told me what this thing does."

"I'll explain everything once I arrive."

The next thing Drakken heard was a dial tone. He frowned before hanging up. Unfortunately he had learned nothing new about the object. Monkey Fist intended on keeping that information to himself until he arrived. That was a bit of a bright spot at least. In only a few hours he would know what it was supposed to do. And judging by the awe in the nobleman's voice it had to be something spectacular.

He thought about the time travelling explanation again. What if it was true? The power that would be available at his fingertips would be of truly epic proportions.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fools.

They were all fools.

She stood in her hotel room looking out the window. At night the view was breathtaking. It was the City of Lights after all. And it was even better when you were using what was essentially stolen money to travel the world and live in luxurious hotels.

The Supreme One did not know why she was here. The memories of her life were all intact and incredibly vivid. She remembered how Kim and Ron had travelled through time to defeat her. She remembered the buffoon breaking her Tempus Simia idol. She remembered the portal that had opened up when he had done so. And she remembered them escaping back into the past.

And yet somehow she had come back as well. Despite the fact that Kim had prevented her from entering the portal, she existed. She wondered how much the René Descartes quote held true in this situation. She thought, therefore she was. Honestly she couldn't come up with a better explanation for it. Had her meddling in the time stream produced some sort of permanent presence in it? Whatever the reasons were, she was here.

When she had arrived she realized that it was August. It was the first day of their junior year, the day that the sidekick found out he was moving to Norway. But it was not true in this time line. He stayed. And he had stayed for the past eight months. Clearly she and her actions did not exist in this world. Yet she did. Even after twenty years of controlling the idol she could not understand the paradoxes and enigmas it produced.

And so she had decided that she had to recreate her future. It had been destroyed by Team Possible. The world of the Supreme One did not exist. But for all intents and purposes she was real. She could see and be seen. She could touch and feel. She could taste food and drink. And so the day she had arrived she decided to break into the Tri-City museum to take the Tempus Simia idol. But she could not place her hands on the object. Her hands passed through it as if she was a ghost. Everything else in the museum she was able to grasp. But not the most important item of them all. It was as if the Tempus Simia could sense she was a time paradox, an abomination. It abhorred and rejected her.

She had screamed with unimaginable rage when she realized she could never have what she once did. She had tasted unlimited power. The world had once bowed to her every will. No man, woman, or child did not know her name and face. And it had all been stolen from her.

It was then she realized that she needed a new plan. Maybe _she_ couldn't touch the idol, but this world's Shego could. Perhaps if she was able to recreate the events that brought her power in the first place, then she would be able to use the idol again. Perhaps if certain conditions were met in this time line, she would have the possibility to exist once more in the future. Maybe then she would be able to seize the idol and use it once more. So she set about manipulating events to her favor. Having an almost omnipotent knowledge of the past certainly helped. Using the lottery to win money gave her all the funds she needed.

So far the time line had remained how she remembered it. But she did not know if and when it would diverge and become unfamiliar to her. That meant she couldn't waste any more time. She thought it would be rather fitting if she decided to claim her victory in approximately one month at Middleton High School's prom.

The first step was to eliminate Team Possible. She had tried to do so once before by sending Ron to Norway. But even then he found his way back to Kim. This time their separation had to be much more permanent. That was where Camille Leon came into the picture. She had guided her former employer to finding her and hiring her. A few strategically placed notes didn't hurt either. She still knew all the security codes to the lair. Breaking in and planting them had been simple enough. The fool actually believed he was coming up with the ideas himself. Typical arrogant Drakken. She had then called the young heiress several times for updates as she posed as this world's Shego. And now the task was complete. Team Possible had split. Her knowledge of the tracking chip planted in him had been the final, lethal blow.

She didn't care about any of the people in this world. She didn't even care about this world's Shego. The only purpose she served was to get her hands on the completed idol for a few moments, only for it to be returned to its rightful owner as soon as possible. If she or anyone else knew what the Supreme One had once accomplished they would jealously keep the idol for themselves. To her they were all just pawns. They only existed for one reason, and that was for her to reacquire her glory.

There were too many pieces moving in the great machine. It could not be stopped. She had learned from her mistakes. Her time was coming soon. And the best part was no one knew she even existed.


	12. Ron Versus The Chameleon

Authors Note: Well this chapter turned out longer than I expected. But I'm sure you guys won't have a problem with that. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing. And I'm pretty sure at least one person out there will know why I named this chapter what I did.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_All the world's a stage,  
And all the men and women merely players;  
They have their exits and their entrances;  
And one man in his time plays many parts."_

_~As You Like It, ii, 7_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was driven with purpose Monday morning. She strode through the halls looking for Monique. The other night the two of them had come to an important conclusion. Jill was the key to this entire Camille and Ron situation. She was nearly one hundred percent certain that it was just another one of Camille's tricks. And once Ron knew that he would believe her on the rest of the story. That was if she could ever get him to trust her again.

The tracking chip had thrown a whole new problem into an already very delicate situation. Now she had to fight not only Camille's grip on his heart, but also her own mistake. Even if she could prove that she was a super villain, would things ever be back to how they once were? She honestly didn't think they could. But what she did believe was that their close friendship of over a decade would prevail in the end. Two people who had known each other for that long were together for a reason. She felt that the years of trust, mistakes, and forgiveness would help her in the end.

She found Monique at her locker getting her things for the first class of the day. She, unlike Kim and Ron, had been smart enough to not take Latin class. Kim was just thankful that it was almost over. After this year she could forget about that dead, worthless language. After all, who actually used Latin these days?

Kim approached her friend with a soft, yet determined look on her face.

"Hey Monique."

The raven-haired girl looked up from what she was doing and smiled at her.

"Hey Kim. What's up?"

"You said you were going to work your sources, right?"

Monique laughed a bit.

"I wouldn't exactly call them sources," she corrected her. "But I do know a lot of people. And they know a lot of people. So any piece of gossip going around this school, no matter how small, I can get my hands on."

That bit of knowledge gave Kim hope.

"Any info yet?"

"Of course not. School hasn't even started yet. You gotta give this thing time, Kim."

Kim sighed.

"I know I know… it's just, well, I'm impatient about this. This is huge. Bigger than prom huge."

"Speaking of prom, has anyone asked you yet?"

"So not the time to be discussing this."

"You're right. And you're lucky Bonnie isn't here either. She'd be talking so much trash about you not having a guy in your life."

Kim thought about why Bonnie hadn't been at school the past few days. In fact she wouldn't be returning until next Monday. That meant that she would miss sectionals on Friday. It was all Camille's fault. She had no idea why the blonde had made Bonnie a target. Getting her suspended only got her out of Kim's hair. The only thing she could think of was that maybe it was some sort of alpha female thing. Camille had come to a new school and had to mark her territory as the dominant female. She couldn't have made a bigger impact than knocking out the queen bee and taking her place.

"Well you're right about that. But I wouldn't exactly call it lucky considering the circumstances of why she isn't here."

Monique couldn't argue with that.

"True," she agreed.

"So I need you to find out all you can about this Jill girl. And then we need to figure out a way of proving to Ron she isn't real. Once he realizes that Camille can change her appearance it will be a lot easier to convince him that she's done it a lot in the past."

"Right. I'm going to get on it right now. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks Monique. You're seriously awesome."

"I know," she grinned. "But hearing you say it never gets old."

The fashion fanatic walked off to get some information from her friends. Kim didn't know how she was going to do it, but she trusted in Monique completely. Then a chilling thought came to her. What if it hadn't been Monique? What if that was Camille impersonating one of her classmates again? She realized that she couldn't trust anyone. No one, no matter how long she had known them for, was safe from being a victim of her newest foe. She ran after her friend down the hall.

"Monique!" she called after her.

She stopped and turned around. Seeing Kim running after her made her visibly worried.

"What's wrong?"

"I need proof you aren't Camille."

Monique opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She was absolutely speechless about what Kim had just said. Finally she was able to put together a sentence.

"Uh… okay. What did you have in mind?"

Kim's mind raced trying to think of something to ask her. What was something that only Monique would know? Or even if a few other people might know, it would be something that Camille would definitely not. She thought back to the earliest days of their friendship. She tried recalling what had been going on the first few days they knew each other. It had been over a year ago, and surely not even the cunning Camille could know something that far back.

"Hmm… okay. What was the first Club Banana event that we went to together?"

"Cleopatra's Closet. Good enough?"

"Who's your favorite GWA wrestler?"

"Pain King. Duh."

Kim looked her up and down for a few seconds. There was nothing about her appearance that looked off. She finally concluded that it was indeed her friend.

"Okay. I believe you."

Monique wiped her forehead clear of imaginary sweat and blew an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"I was beginning to think you were going to break out the torture devices. You're harsher than the Spanish Inquisition."

That brought a small smile to Kim's face.

"I'm just being extra careful. I can't count the number of times that… freak must have played me and everyone else at this school. Everyone is a target."

"Paranoid much?"

"For good reason, Mon. She posed as me and went on a mission with Ron. If he couldn't tell the two of us apart what does that say about everyone else?"

She looked around to the students passing them by in the hall. She brought herself closer to Monique.

"For all we know she could be listening to us right now," she whispered.

"I guess you're right…"

"So just be careful to whoever you talk to. I really don't mean to sound paranoid about all this, but we don't know who we can trust anymore. She's already turned the whole cheer squad against me. She has to be stopped."

"Which is why I should get going. We can't figure out a way to prove who Jill really is if all we do is stand here and talk about it."

Kim nodded in agreement. She was letting her paranoia hold up the process of getting the truth out there.

"I know… I'm sorry. Okay, you go do your thing. Good luck, and be careful."

Monique smiled as she walked away.

Kim looked up at the clock and saw that she was close to being late for Latin class. She would need to hurry through the halls to get there on time. But at least it wasn't a Barkin class. There wouldn't be a huge penalty if she was late, but she never wanted to make a habit of it.

XXXXXXXXXX

If Monkey Fist had been expecting a grand welcoming ceremony upon his arrival, he would have been extremely disappointed at what he saw. When he reached Dr. Drakken's lair there was a single overweight henchmen in a red jumpsuit waiting for him. He disembarked from his own small craft and walked over to the hired help. Two black-clad monkey ninjas flanked him as he approached the man.

"Where is Dr. Drakken?" he asked darkly.

"He's inside."

The two men stood there looking at each other. Tense seconds passed as Monkey Fist grew ever more impatient with the henchman.

"Well? Are you going to take me to him?"

"Oh, you wanted to see him?"

The nobleman had to work hard not to slam his fist into the incompetent fool's face. He took a deep breath to calm himself down the best he could.

"No, you moron. I just came all the way from England to stand here and chat with you. So then, what's the latest news on your favorite professional sports team?"

The man's face showed that he was thinking hard about the question he had been asked.

"Wait, are you kidding?" he finally answered.

Monkey Fist let out a furious roar that made the man shrink in fear.

"Yes I'm bloody kidding! Take me to see Dr. Drakken now!"

The henchman regained his composure before opening the door and gesturing him to follow.

"Okay okay… ya don't have to get so mad…"

Monkey Fist was led through the halls until they finally reached the main room where Drakken and Shego were. The door slid open and they stepped inside.

"Dr. Drakken sir, you have company," the henchman announced.

The mad scientist turned to see that his guest had finally arrived. He walked over to greet his newest partner in crime. But instead the psychotic Englishman grabbed hold of his shoulders tightly.

"Where is it!" he said manically.

"What the-" Drakken stuttered. "What are you doing?"

"Show me the Tempus Simia!"

Drakken squirmed around to get his shoulders free from the raving madman.

"Get your stinking paws off me, you-"

A paw released his shoulders and grasped around his throat tightly.

"If you finish the words of that movie quote they will be the last you ever speak," Monkey Fist growled.

Drakken looked at him and saw that he was serious. Maybe not about killing him, but definitely about hurting him. He wasn't about to let some super villain he invited as a guest come to his lair and start making threats. He did the only thing he could think of.

"Shego!" he called out.

The villainess set her magazine on the table and stood up to face the two men.

Monkey Fist's eyes were drawn to the new player in the game. Two sets of hateful eyes locked and both knew of the others capabilities. And seeing how he was in a foreign lair filled with henchmen and other hidden traps, he decided that he would play nice for now.

He released Drakken and took a step back from him. He raised his paws to chest level to show that he was no longer a threat.

"Have it your way, doctor," he said with a smirk.

Drakken adjusted his lab coat after he had been handled so roughly by his guest. After a few moments he turned his attention back to Monkey Fist.

"Now then, if we're done playing 'attack your partner', I believe we have business to discuss."

"Yes, yes we do. Now where is it?"

"Right over there," he said pointing to the table.

Monkey Fist saw the idol and dropped down on all four paws before making his way to the table. He examined the stone object for a few moments before grasping it and bringing it closer to his face.

More seconds passed as Drakken and Shego stared at him. For a moment they turned to each other. She gave him a look asking what the freak was doing. Drakken merely shrugged his shoulders before they looked back at the demented monkey master.

When he was finally finished Monkey Fist set it down on the table and went back over to Drakken.

"It is real," he said calmly.

"Well duh. We could have told you that," Shego said.

"Yes, now why doesn't it have a head? And what is this thing supposed to do anyway?" Drakken wondered.

Monkey Fist took a seat at the table, and the two other villains did the same sitting across from him. He folded his hands neatly before explaining.

"Dr. Drakken, Shego, what you have in your possession is an item that holds more power than you can possibly imagine."

Drakken and Shego glanced at the idol before looking back up at him.

"So what does it do?" Drakken wondered. "Does it shoot lasers from its eyes? Can it grow into a ten story monster of solid stone?"

A look of confusion mixed with disgust spread across the monkey-man's face. He couldn't believe the pure idiocy he was hearing.

"Do you listen to yourself when you speak? What kind of moronic ideas are those?"

"Okay Mr. Know It All, what does it do then?"

"When the head is attached to it at precisely the correct moment, it bestows upon the owner the ability of time travel."

The other two villains looked at each other skeptically.

"Right… because we're the ones saying stupid ideas…" Shego said sarcastically.

"Do not presume I am joking about this, sidekick."

Shego growled as she stood up. But Monkey Fist remained calm and collected.

Drakken remembered reading about such theories on the internet. He had dismissed them as nonsense. But hearing it now from Monkey Fist certainly made him think twice about his judgment. After all, he was a bit more of a credible source. Still though, his doubt remained intact.

"Don't be ridiculous. If there was a way for mankind to harness the ability of time travel certainly I would have figured it out years ago."

A tiny laugh escaped Shego's lips.

"The first thing that we must do is acquire the head," Monkey Fist explained. "Since I know how to find it, I think it's only fair that you give the idol to me."

"Now wait just a minute!" Drakken bellowed. "I found the thing. It belongs to me. If anything I should be the one to go out and find the head."

"Do you know how to find it?"

He honestly did not know anything about the idol other than what he had just been told and what was on the internet. And the internet wasn't the best place to find truthful information.

"No, but it's mine. That means if you want it you'll have to get through all my guards. Shego too."

Shego was still standing, seemingly ready to pounce at a moment's notice. She lit her hands to emphasize what her employer had just said.

Even with two monkey ninjas at his side, Monkey Fist knew that he would be hard-pressed to defeat all of the people in this lair and escape with the idol successfully. He decided that he would work with them for now. But he would seize the idol for himself when the opportune moment arose.

"Very well. We will be partners in this endeavor. You can call off your dog now."

Shego had had enough. She leapt up on the table and jumped at the sitting Englishman. The attack had been so swift that he had not had time to properly prepare for the blow. Her fist connected with his cheek and sent the two of them crashing to the floor. She landed much more gracefully than him and came back up to her feet quickly.

In a flash the two monkey ninjas were upon her. But ninjas or not they were still no match for the battle-hardened villainess. They were both dispatched with ease as she flung them against the walls of the lair.

But this had given Monkey Fist plenty of time to recover. He stood up and lashed out with a fist that caught Shego off guard. She stumbled back from the blow and was about to go on the offensive again, but realized that the room had filled up with henchmen holding their crackling power staffs. Monkey Fist kept his arms up in a fighting position, but made it clear that he would not be the aggressor.

By this time Drakken had also risen from his seat and stepped between the two angry villains.

"If you two have all the fighting out of your system now, what do you say we go find the head to the idol?"

Monkey Fist lowered his arms and smiled at Shego.

"I'm all for it. What do you say, my dear?"

The energy surrounding her hands disappeared, but she still had her eyes locked on him.

"Fine. Let's go," she said coldly.

XXXXXXXXXX

American history class had been awkward. Kim hadn't said a word to Ron. He for the most part had just ignored her. But she couldn't take her eyes off of Camille. And every now and then the blonde villainess would give her a small glance. Both of their cards were face up on the table. Kim could only hope that her newest adversary had been wrong about her poker face.

With Barkin's class over she was on her way to the next. It was the only class of the day she did not share with Ron. What had been the most boring part of the day at the beginning of the semester had now turned into a small respite. Here she didn't feel uncomfortable being around her best friend for the past twelve years. She sighed when the thought entered her mind. It was never supposed to be this way. She should never feel awkward or weird around Ron. How had it come to this?

Monique approached her as she stood next to her locker gathering her things. Kim had been so focused on her thoughts that she had not seen her friend walk up to her. It wasn't a good sign. She had to be alert at all times. Drakken was up to something. Camille was up to something. It wouldn't surprise her if the sitch got even weirder in the next few days.

"Monique!" she said excitedly. "Do you have anything? You must have something! Tell me you have something!"

Monique was taken aback by Kim's fervor. She waited until her friend calmed down a bit.

"Yes, actually. I do have something."

"Okay. Spill."

"So I talked to a few people I know, people from all different grades. And only one person had ever heard of a new girl named Jill."

"Who was it?"

"Get this. It was someone who's in fourth period study hall."

Kim frowned. She knew what that meant.

"The only class that I don't have with Ron."

"Bingo. The dude said that he occasionally hangs out in the library during that period, like Ron does every day. And when he's there he always sees Ron sitting at a table with a new girl named Jill."

"I knew it… she's poisoning his mind at a time when I can't defend myself."

Monique nodded.

"And it gets even better. When he has study hall in the classroom with the rest of the people, the teacher is always checking to see who went to the library instead. And guess who's always there with Ron?"

"Camille Leon."

"You got it. And he's never once seen Camille in the library. He also managed to swipe the class list for fourth period study hall for me."

"So this pretty much confirms what we already know."

"Right…" Monique said before the mood turned a bit uncomfortable. "So what do we do now?"

"Now we go expose Jill for who she really is."

Kim was about to head toward the library when her kimmunicator sounded.

"What's up Wade?"

"You told me to keep an eye on Drakken. I've got something."

Kim frowned once more. Just when things were starting to become clearer Drakken had to rear his ugly head again.

"What's he up to now?"

"He's on a private jet travelling through the Australian Outback."

"Australia. Well that's a new one at least."

"I'm setting you up with Global Justice. They're the only people with a craft that can get you there in time."

She sighed when she realized that it was mission time. So much for fixing things with Ron.

"I suppose I'd better change…"

"Right. And don't worry, I've already called… Junior," he said with noticeable hesitation.

She heard the hesitation in his voice and couldn't help but agree. But circumstances had dictated this decision. It was her only viable choice. Like it or not she and Senor Senior Jr. were going to be heading to Australia to stop whatever Dr. Drakken had up his sleeves.

"Alright Wade. I'm on it."

She stuffed the device in her pocket before turning back to Monique.

"Monique… I need you to do me a favor."

"Does this mean you'll owe me one in the future? Like how you get all your rides?"

Kim was stunned by the question. It was the last thing she would have expected her friend to say.

"I'm kidding… anything for you, girl," she smiled.

Kim breathed a small sigh of relief as a smile graced her lips. She had been so stressed by everything that she couldn't even recognize her friend's humor.

"I need you to talk to Ron for me. I need you to tell him everything you just told me. He needs to know the truth about his new friend and his girlfriend."

"Sure thing, Kim. I'll do it at lunch when I can get him away from that harpy."

Kim smiled as she nodded slightly.

"Thanks, Mon. You don't know how much I appreciate this."

Kim grabbed the mission clothes she kept at school out of her locker and went to the washroom to change. Meanwhile Monique went to her next class. She only had one period to strategize before she had to confront Ron about the dire situation he was in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron's stomach growled as he made his way down the hall toward the cafeteria. Once more he was happy that he no longer had to rely on mystery meat in order to satisfy his hunger.

He had heard that Kim had been called for a mission. Part of him was actually sad that she had not come to him for help. He was her sidekick after all. But at the same time he couldn't deny how awkward it would have been if they were trapped in a small aircraft together. He concluded that she had made the right call not coming to him for assistance. He just hoped that she would be okay alone. He knew that her last mission to the Tri-City Museum had not gone too well.

Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm from behind and pull him off course. His head turned quickly to see the potential threat, but was relieved when he saw that it was only Monique. He exhaled as a tiny smile formed on his face.

"Monique, you shouldn't be sneaking up on me like that. I got the mad kung fu skills after all," he said playfully.

She did not look amused. In fact she looked very serious.

"Um, Monique? What's wrong?"

"Ron, we need to talk…"

"You know if that was Camille saying those words to me I would be totally freaking out right now," he laughed.

Her expression didn't change though. It made him focus back on her and not his joke. He didn't like the vibe of the situation.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Is Kim okay?"

She took note of his concern for Kim. That was a good sign at least. Their friendship wasn't beyond saving. It was obvious that he still cared a great deal for his friend.

"No, it's not Kim. Although she is currently flying to Australia with Junior being her only backup."

His mouth hung open in shock.

"Wait, did you just say Junior?"

"Yes. Junior. As in, one of the people who tries to take over the world on a regular basis. One of the people who has tried to kill Kim."

"Well in all fairness I would say his dad did most of that…"

"Focus Ron!"

He did just that. He quickly shut up and resumed paying attention to whatever she had to say next.

"Look, this isn't easy for me. And it wouldn't have been easy for Kim either if she was here. But there's something you have to know about your friend Jill."

"Jill? What about her?"

"She isn't who you think she is."

He didn't respond, but rather gave her a look that told her that he was getting annoyed by the constant paranoia that people were having about the new girls in his life.

"Look Monique, I don't know what Kim has been telling you. But if you say that Jill is working for Dr. Drakken I don't know how I'll react to it."

She handed him the class roster for his study hall. He looked at it and then back up at her.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Find Camille's name."

He scanned the list of names. It wasn't hard to spot the name of his girlfriend.

"Okay. Now what?"

"Now find Jill's name."

He looked the list up and down once more. He found nothing. It must have been an oversight on his part. He searched for the name again. Again it was not there. He continued looking through it going name by name. There was no person on that piece of paper named Jill Ishus. After a few more seconds Monique took the paper from him.

"Ron. I don't know if you'll believe me or not. But please try to think of me as a third party. I'm not Kim, I'm your friend. Jill is Camille. Camille is Jill. She's been playing you this whole time."

He wanted to laugh. He wanted to believe it was a joke. But he couldn't. Monique was as serious as he had ever seen her be. That meant one of two things. Either Kim had gotten to her too, and they were both obsessively jealous of Camille being his girlfriend. The other option was that she was right. He chose the former.

He shook his head in dismay. He couldn't believe how bad things had become for his group of friends.

"Seriously Monique? You too?"

"Ron. Look past the fact that she's your girlfriend. Think with your brain, not your, um, heart?"

"You expect me to believe that Camille is some kind of shape shifter like Kim says?"

"Yes! Is that really so hard to believe in your line of work? The first time we met you and Kim were fighting some freaky Egyptian jackal dude who wanted to be a pro wrestler!"

Ron was about to say something in protest but was cut off before he even began.

"You and Kim fought clones! Clones, Ron! Clones of Bonnie and Kim! Don't you remember that?"

He again opened his mouth but was interrupted once more.

"And don't tell me you've forgotten the Bebes. The things that are probably the most advanced artificial intelligence programs in the world? The things that moved so fast that you couldn't even see them? And you're telling me that you don't believe that someone has the ability to shape shift? After all that? Really Ron?"

He had nothing to say now. Even if he wanted to speak the words would not come.

"And you don't think that it's just a little bit weird that your friend Jill and your girlfriend Camille show up on the same day? Come on Ron. Wake up. You're better than this and you know it."

Maybe it was the volume of Monique's shouting. Maybe it was the passion in her voice. Or maybe it was the fact that all of the things she had just mentioned seemed perfectly logical and reasonable to him. But whatever the reason was, he could not come up with a counter to anything she had just told him. Instead he just refused to hear any more.

"You're crazy. This is all crazy. I'm going to lunch."

He walked quickly down the hall to the cafeteria. He looked back once to see Monique still staring at him. He felt a plethora of emotions stirring inside him. But now there was a new feeling. No, not new. It was an old feeling. It had always been there. But since the beginning it had been buried under the joy of having a girlfriend.

His doubt had resurfaced.

XXXXXXXXXX

The trio of super villains walked through the unpopulated Australian Outback in search of their target. Dr. Drakken held the Tempus Simia in his hands. It had been clapping slowly for the past hour. It was beginning to get very irritating.

Shego gritted her teeth. Her frustration was mounting. What kind of stupid plan was this? And time travel? What kind of moron did Monkey Fist take her for? He may have been able to sway Drakken over to his side on the jet ride, but not her. She was only here because she was being paid to do so. That and it was an opportunity to get out of the lair and do some travelling. An all expenses paid trip to Australia wasn't so bad. Maybe after they found the stupid stone head she would take a vacation and spend a couple of weeks in Sydney.

The increasing tempo of the clapping caught her attention. She turned to see the two men become excited about what this had to mean.

"We're getting closer!" Monkey Fist exclaimed.

"Yes!" Drakken agreed. He pointed to their right. "That way!"

Shego sighed as she followed them. The three of them came upon three very large stones, with the tallest of them being in the center. As they neared it the idol's clapping was constant. This was it.

"Okay, it's here somewhere," Monkey Fist concluded.

"Good. Now where exactly is it?" Drakken wondered.

"Hmm…"

Monkey Fist inspected the stones for a few moments before his eyes were drawn to the top of the center stone monolith.

"There. A mystical monkey doorknob."

"Seriously, do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?" Shego asked him.

Monkey Fist ignored her and used a few hanging vines to swing up to the top of the stone. He turned the small monkey knob on the monolith before jumping back to the ground. A hidden door slid open revealing a small room inside. The three of them looked into the darkness speechlessly.

"You were saying, Shego?" Monkey Fist smirked darkly.

Just as they were about to enter they heard a sound above them. They had all heard it too many times in their lives. It was the sound of the law.

A pair of ropes fell from the Global Justice hover jet and were soon followed by two bodies rapidly descending down them. Kim landed neatly with her usual grace before standing up at her full height. Junior came down a bit more shakily, but made a better landing than Ron would have.

The villains looked at them with a mix of shock and wonder. But their eyes were drawn more to Junior than their usual teen nemesis.

"Um, Shego?" Drakken asked. "Why is that boy wearing one of your outfits?"

Junior was indeed clad in the black and green jump suit he had gotten from his former mentor. But it was clearly not one of hers. It actually fit the muscled young man.

"Excuse me? Does it look like I wear a size one hundred?" She growled at her employer.

"Okay okay, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, well, look at him."

"What is the issue here?" Junior wondered. "I think I look absolutely marvelous in this outfit."

"Enough talk!" Shego roared. "Monkey boy, you take care of Junior. Drakken, go get the head. The princess is mine."

"With pleasure," the monkey master grinned.

Drakken went into the room to fetch the idol's head as Shego and Monkey Fist brought their fists up and ready for action. The Englishman went first.

He charged into Junior swinging his fists with pinpoint precision at the young man. Junior was barely able to ward off each blow in time. Soon enough some managed to get through. Despite the fact that he was trained by Shego, he was still no match for a master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. Fists connected with flesh as Junior was pummeled to the ground in a matter of seconds. He covered up the more sensitive areas of his body the best he could as he continued to lie in the dirt. Eventually Monkey Fist decided that this battle was won and went over to deal with their other opponent.

Shego ignited her hands and rushed at Kim. A much more evenly-matched battle was occurring here as Kim was able to deflect and counter all of Shego's attacks, while Shego did the same with her.

Kim managed to land a hard right hook on Shego's chin, sending the villainess back a few steps. The black-haired woman snarled as she came at Kim once more only to have her attacks blocked again. She received a hard kick to her kneecap for her efforts. She stumbled back once more and looked up just in time to see Monkey Fist enter the fray.

The insane nobleman fought with both sets of paws as he tried his best to keep Kim off balance. But like Shego he was having little luck in landing a solid blow on the teen hero. An onyx boot smashed into his face and drew blood as he was sent flying back several feet and landed on the ground.

"Have a nice trip," she said mockingly to her fallen opponent. "See you next fall."

"Oh please Kimmie, did you hear that on a rerun of Power Rangers or something?" Shego taunted.

Monkey Fist quickly got back to his feet and stood beside Shego as they both began making their way toward Kim.

Junior had by now regained his strength and stood up to see Drakken emerge from the room inside the large stone monolith. Looking over to Kim he realized that he was no match for either of the two villains. So he decided to pick on someone he could defeat.

He rushed at Drakken who was caught completely by surprise as the large billionaire lowered his shoulder and plowed him off his feet. The Tempus Simia idol landed in the dirt beside him. Junior reached down to pick it up before rushing away from the mad scientist. He saw Kim struggling to fend off the attacks from her two assailants. It wouldn't take very long for her to be knocked out of the fight.

"Kim!" he shouted as he held up the stone head.

All three of the combatants looked at him. Kim took the opportunity to run in another direction as Junior threw the head toward her. She caught it neatly in both hands and stopped before reaching the large stone that had housed it.

She decided it was time for a little payback. This freaky monkey head obviously meant a lot to them if they were out here in the middle of Australia trying to get it. She would see how much they really did care about it.

"Nobody move or I'm smashing this thing against the rock!" she shouted.

Monkey Fist stopped dead in his tracks. Shego didn't.

"Stop Shego! We cannot risk damaging the idol!"

She too stopped and then noticed that Junior was next to her slamming his fists against her shoulder. She barely felt the blows. Either he had gotten weaker or she had gotten stronger. She chose to believe the latter.

"Um, Junior? Can you knock it off for a minute? Kimmie's trying to talk to us."

"Please, just do not damage the idol's head," Monkey Fist pleaded.

"You're going to let both of us go," Kim told him. "It's either that or I shatter this thing into a million pieces. Your move, Monkey Fist."

He was seething with rage. But to him there was only one option. She had to be set free. They could always reacquire the idol's head from her. They could not replace it if it was broken.

"Let her go," he announced to the group.

"What!" Shego yelled in disbelief.

"I said let her go," he repeated. "We will finish this another day."

Kim eyed them cautiously before she and Junior made their way back to the ropes hanging from the hover jet. After they both got secure grips they were pulled up. The jet flew away en route back to the United States.

On the way back she thought about how dangerously wrong this mission had nearly went. The only way they had made it out intact was by using the villain's own tactic against them. She wouldn't always have that ace up her sleeve. She needed Ron back, and she needed him now.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron didn't know why he was doing this. It felt so wrong. He couldn't believe that he had let Monique get to him. Yet somehow, someway, he knew he had to. This would be what he needed to cast out any and all doubts. This is what he needed to be absolutely certain that they were the crazy ones. He had to do it. He had to see if there was any truth behind the accusations.

There were things that just didn't add up. He had listened to what Monique had said, despite how much he didn't want to hear them. A shape shifter really wasn't out of the ordinary compared to what he and Kim normally went up against. And it just got weirder after that. He remembered things that had no meaning outside of the context of Camille being evil. He remembered how Dr. Burton had said that the Yellow Tiffany Diamond had been the target of thefts in both Paris and New York. And that was where Camille had gone to school prior to her arrival in Middleton. He remembered the fake Kim's disdain for Bueno Nacho. Camille had the same opinion the night they went to Bonnie's party. And then there was the fact that Jill wasn't listed in his fourth period study hall class. But Camille was.

It was eleven at night when Ron arrived on foot outside of Camille's house. He was fully clad in his mission gear. He hadn't worn it in some time now and it felt good to be back in it. Sure, he wore cargo pants more often than not. But these dark gray pants had a special symbolic meaning. They meant he was going out to help people, to fight for a cause greater than himself. Only on this occasion it wasn't for anyone except him. It was a recon mission; he was here to find out answers about his girlfriend.

Certainly if she was some super villain like Kim and Monique said there would be proof of it. It felt dirty and wrong even thinking about doing what he was about to do. The conflict inside him had raged throughout the day. But like he had told himself a thousand times, it had to be done.

He aimed his grappling gun up to the second story of her home and fired. After making sure the line was secure he pulled himself up to the window. He was thankful that it was unlocked. After all, who would ever suspect of someone breaking in through a window of this height?

He stepped into the dark room as quietly as possible. He couldn't turn on any lights in fear of her noticing them and coming to investigate. Instead he took out a small plastic Smartymart flashlight and began scanning the room. He realized this was going to take a long time. It was time he did not have.

"Yo Rufus," he whispered down to his pocket. "I need your help."

The tiny rodent stuck his head out of his pocket and yawned.

"I need you to help me search for anything suspicious. I don't know what we're looking for… just… anything."

Rufus nodded and jumped down to the floor and began sniffing. Honestly Ron didn't know what he expected out of the naked mole rat. All he knew was that it couldn't hurt to try.

Ron brought the beam of the flashlight over his girlfriend's dresser. There was nothing on top of it. He knew that he and Kim kept photos of themselves and the rest of their friends in their room, as well as meaningful things like trophies and gifts from each other. But Ron found nothing here. The tops of her dresser and desk were barren. He next went over to her bed.

It was made neatly with nothing on top of it. However there was a tiny table next to it. On it he found two manila folders. He brought his flashlight closer to them so he could see if there was anything written on them. His heart skipped a beat.

"Team Possible?" he whispered to himself.

He opened the folder to read its contents. Inside it were papers detailing several missions that he and Kim had gone on over the past couple of years. Some of them looked like official Global Justice documents. Others were more amateur in appearance. He noticed typos and numerous mentions of the words "buffoon" and "sidekick". He frowned as he put it down and picked up the second folder.

It read "The Ron Factor". He flipped it open and saw that this was the Global Justice report from when they had studied him to see if he was what gave Team Possible its winning edge. He had already read it once, he did not need to do so again.

His heart was pounding and his palms were sweaty. It wasn't from the fear of being caught or the rush of doing spy work. It was the dread of finding out that maybe everything that Kim had been saying was true. It was finding out that maybe everything that he had believed to be true was a lie.

He felt Rufus climbing up his pants leg and back into his pocket. He looked down at his hairless friend.

"I've seen enough Rufus. We're leaving."

Before he could make it to the window though, the room was illuminated by the light on the ceiling.

"What are you doing Ron?" a voice said to him.

He turned to see Camille standing there with her arms folded. His mouth went dry and his heart rate became even faster. What could he say? He could think of nothing but the truth. He walked over by her bed and picked up the folders.

"Camille, what are you doing with these?" he asked pointing to them.

He noticed her eyes widen as she took a small hesitant step forward. She stopped herself before she got any closer. This had caught her completely off guard. She had no excuses or stories prepared for what was happening. She did her best to improvise.

"That's just me trying to get to know you better," she said. It wasn't a lie either. It just wasn't the whole truth.

"Why do you have these? Is Kim right? Are you working for Dr. Drakken?"

Two weeks of work had suddenly come crashing down on her. There was no possible way she could come up with anything to make him believe she was innocent. How could she possibly explain having classified Global Justice documents? This combined with the accusations Kim had made effectively ended any chance she had of continuing the charade. It was time to lay her cards on the table and hope that they were good enough to win her the pot.

"Yes, Ron. I am working for him."

Ron closed his eyes tight. He had been hoping against hope that she would say no. He knew that he wouldn't believe her even if she had said no, but part of him, some tiny, gullible part of him wanted to believe that she was still innocent. Her admission had destroyed any chance of things working out.

"How… why… I mean, I just… I don't get it. Why?"

"Come with me," she smiled.

"What?"

"Come. With. Me," she repeated. "We're going to chat downstairs."

She turned and left the room with him standing there in shock. It took him a few moments to remember how to move his legs to follow her. They soon reached her living room. She took a seat on the couch and motioned for him to sit next to her. He did not, and instead sat in the large recliner next to the couch. She figured that it was good enough and began talking.

"You see Ron, I was hired by Dr. Drakken to break you and Kim up. To ruin Team Possible, to destroy your close friendship."

"Why?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I don't care either. All I know is that it was money. Money for doing something fun, something I was good at."

"And that would be?"

She chuckled at his question.

"And the Academy Award for best actress goes to…" she trailed off.

"You did this just to act?"

"More than just act. Manipulation. It was all a game to me. A very fun game. If you only knew how many things I made happen over the past two weeks. You would see how absolutely amazing I am at this."

"A game? You mess with people's lives!"

"Oh don't be so overdramatic. This is high school. They'll get over everything once they graduate."

"I feel nauseous. All this time I was just a pawn to ruin Team Possible?"

"Yeah, but you were _my_ pawn," she smirked. "At least you weren't Brick or Bonnie. How does that make you feel?"

"I… I'm seriously going to be sick. I can't believe this is happening to me."

Camille took a deep breath before continuing.

"I'll admit, at first you were just a job. You were nothing but a paycheck to me. But then I kept reading your files. I got to know you more and more. And it got me thinking about your potential."

"My potential?"

"Global Justice may have ignored the Ron Factor. But I didn't. You and your… mole rat always seem to know what button to push. Or what wire to cut, or when to trip and fall, or when to break something. And then there was the time you created a doomsday device out of a bunch of junk that Drakken gave you. But the thing that caught my eye is what you accomplished when you were under the influence of the attitudinator."

Ron shook his head repeatedly at the mention of that horrible word.

"No, we're not going there. Never again."

Camille stood and moved closer to the chair he was in.

"You can't deny what you did. You can't deny what you're capable of. They may ignore you. They may think you're just some worthless sidekick. But I don't. I know that together we can do great things. We, unlike Kim, truly could do anything."

"What are you saying…?"

She knelt down beside the chair and folded her arms on the armrest. She looked deep into his eyes with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I'm saying that we should be partners. If we combined our skills we could defeat any hero, any villain, any organization. We could bring the world to its knees if we wanted. Like I said, we could do anything."

"How could I ever be your partner? I'm a good guy. I save the world. And you… you just want to use it as a toy."

"Exactly. You like the Fearless Ferret don't you? Why am I even asking, I know you do. I've gotten to know you very well in the short time we've been dating."

"Yes… I do like him," he said hesitantly.

"Personally I find the idea of forbidden relationships to be such a turn on. Romeo and Juliet is big on that stuff. Then there's you, the selfless hero. And me, the sinister villain. I'll be the Sheela to your Fearless Ferret.

He frowned when she used such an analogy against him. Whether he would admit it or not, he did find the whole idea of Bryce Wade and Serena Lyle being together in the comic books very appealing. But there was no way he could ever let her know that.

She stood back up, but never broke eye contact with him as she did. She then walked around behind the chair and bent down to bring her face to his ear.

"And you're forgetting another benefit of our partnership," she whispered. "My talents are more than just manipulating people. I'm every guy's dream."

She morphed into a new form before she stepped to the right side of the chair. Ron looked up at her face and jumped with sudden fright.

"I could be every girl you've ever fantasized about," she said with the smiling face of Tara.

She went back behind the chair to change her form again. This time she stepped to his left side.

"I could be every girl you've never stood a chance with," she continued with Bonnie's face and ample cleavage on full display.

She stepped behind the chair and changed yet again.

"Or… she said as she walked in front of him. The look on his face was priceless when he saw who she was. And his expression somehow became even better when she straddled his lap and brought her face close to his. "I could even be your best friend," she said seductively as she took on the appearance of Kim.

His heart was pounding like never before. The images he was seeing, the emotions he was feeling, the physical contact he was experiencing, they were all threatening to overload his brain. He couldn't even think of words right now. He couldn't even remember what the alphabet was. He just saw the emerald green eyes and fiery red hair of his best friend sitting on his lap.

Camille smiled, knowing that her message had gotten through loud and clear. She morphed back into her natural form letting her bleached blonde hair hang down on his chest. She lingered there for a moment before dismounting him and standing back up.

"So are you in?" she grinned.

It took some time before he could even think of how to respond. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For a moment he actually considered it. He thought about everything he could have if he decided to be with her. Could she be right? Could they really do anything? Could he really have anything… anyone? He wanted to. He wanted to so badly… After all, he was a seventeen year old guy. What Camille was suggesting to him truly was every guy's dream. He shook his head and cast such thoughts from his head. He was a hero, not a villain. No matter how tempting and alluring she was, she was still a villain. They could never be together like that.

"Do you honestly expect me to say yes? After all the lies, all the secrets, all the manipulation, you think that I would work with you?"

"Think about it this way. Kim, your best friend since you were five years old, lied to you. You asked her how she tracked you that one day a couple weeks ago. And she said nothing about embedding a tracking chip in you without your consent. She said it was a satellite. I remember this because you used me as a shoulder to cry on the day you found out the truth."

He didn't know how to respond to that. Instead he just continued listening.

"And then there's tonight. You asked me if I was working for Drakken. And I said yes. I came clean and told you the truth despite how much it would ruin me. Now tell me, which person was more honest?"

"That's some twisted logic. I won't let you manipulate me anymore."

She laughed out loud. He was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

"Come on Ron, all relationships are built on manipulation. Normal people just call it compromise. But you and me, we're far from normal, aren't we? Think about every sitcom you've ever seen with a married couple. Whether the man likes it or not, she controls him. It's all a power game. It's all about who can control the other to make them do what they want. I bet you'd like it if I got to control you, wouldn't you?"

He didn't answer her question. Instead he asked one of his own.

"Camille… in all the time we've been dating, did you ever really care about me? Did you ever have any real feelings for me? Or was it all just an act?"

It was her turn to not answer. She returned the favor and asked him another question.

"Are you in or not?" she repeated.

He sighed as he stood from the chair.

"No."

Camille's mouth hung open in disbelief. How could he say no? She saw him turn to leave and grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"You should really think about this," she said carefully.

"I already have. We're done. I'm breaking up with you."

He started walking to the front door, but stopped when he heard her call after him.

"You can't break up with me!" she shouted. "I'm Camille Leon! No one dumps me!"

He turned around before responding.

"Yeah, well I just did. I guess there's a first time for everything."

By now she was fuming. He had the audacity to dump her after everything she said to him? And in her own house? She clenched her fists as she came to another decision.

"Fine! But I hope you know that I'm going to call everyone I know and tell them I dumped you. Your reputation is the one that's going to be ruined, not mine."

He chuckled darkly. It was the last possible reaction she would have expected.

"Camille, I really don't care how you spin it. There's nothing you can do to me right now that will make me feel worse than I already do."

With that he opened the door and wandered outside. She stood there for a few seconds before moving to close and lock it.

Sitting down on the couch she thought about everything that had just taken place. This was an insult, a disgrace. She had never lost a mark like that before. He had rejected her. It wasn't right. She was the one who decided when things ended, not him. He had just taken this love game to the next level. She had to make him fall for her again; it was a matter of pride. And once he did, then she would be able to end things on her own terms. It would be difficult, but then again she did enjoy a challenge.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was so hard to find good servants these days. Especially without obedience collars.

It had been a day since she learned that her plan had fallen apart. She had posed as Shego making another call to Camille to get the latest information. Ron had broken up with her, and was most likely going to reconcile with Kim. And then there was the fact that this world's Shego had failed to obtain the completed Tempus Simia idol. She sighed as she thought about what this meant. If you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself.

She was currently aboard a small private plane heading to Middleton. She pondered the extreme deviations in the timeline that had been occurring over the past several days. It was not what she had expected. She had never foreseen her former apprentice teaming up with Kim as her new sidekick. He was certainly much better than Monique had proved to be when things had originally taken place.

But one didn't become the supreme ruler of the world without having a bit of cunning. She had already formulated a new plan to ensure that things went her way. She had the tools necessary to accomplish the task. One such tool was only a phone call away. The other sat in the seat next to her.

She was about to give Kim a totally new distraction to worry about.


	13. Aftershocks

Authors Note: As always, a big thank you goes out to everyone who is reading. I never thought a Camille story would be so popular, nor that I would write one this long.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Know thyself." _

_~Inscription at the Oracle of Delphi_

XXXXXXXXXX

On Tuesday Ron didn't even bother going to school. Like he had done so many times in the past he had convinced his parents that he was too sick to go to class. He felt the dark irony of knowing that Camille would be proud of his performance. This time he wasn't completely lying though. Since his chat with Camille the previous night he had been feeling physically ill. But he knew that it wasn't a disease affecting him, unless one could classify a broken heart as one. No, this feeling was one of stress and anxiety. All he knew was that he hurt inside, and that was good enough for him.

He had spent most of the day moping around his house watching bad daytime TV. The amazingly stupid soap operas only served to remind him of his own troubled relationships. His girlfriend had used him to help out Dr. Drakken. But worse, his trust in his best friend had been shattered. He now knew that what Kim had been saying about Camille was true. And because of this he no longer held a grudge against her about it. She was right, and he was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time in their long history together. It wouldn't even be the hundredth time. But none of that was a priority anymore.

He moved his hand to the back of his neck. He couldn't feel anything abnormal, but he assumed that's where it was. That… thing that she and Wade had put inside him. He wondered what else they had done to him without his knowledge. Part of him wondered if his paranoia was getting the better of him. Of course they wouldn't do anything to him. He and Kim had been best friends for the past twelve years. But then why had she and Wade put it in him in the first place?

All of this had put him in a bad place. He had sunk into a state of depression he had never felt in his young life. What was there to believe in anymore? He lived in a world where anyone was capable of betrayal, no matter how close they were to him or how genuine they seemed.

He had to get out. He had to do something. Sitting around at home with no distractions had turned out to be a disastrous choice. His mind had been purely focused on all of the bad things in his life rather than at least being busy with school work. But then again he wasn't so sure about what would happen once he did go to school. By now the entire school population must have known that Camille had "dumped him". It wasn't true, but that's what they would choose to believe. No one in their right mind would ever believe that Ron Stoppable had willingly dumped Camille Leon.

It was around three in the afternoon when he decided to go out. He would hang out a bit with Felix. He was the closest friend he had at the moment who hadn't betrayed him. Of course there was Monique too, but the two of them rarely hung out alone. Ron figured that an afternoon of video games with Felix would be just what he needed to take his mind off of the pain.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You okay Ron?"

Ron was snapped out of his daydream and saw the message on the screen. He had lost. Again. He didn't even remember playing. Looking to his right he saw Felix giving him a curious look. Ron sighed before responding.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Dude, I've never felt so bad in my life."

Felix frowned as he set down his controller.

"I'm almost afraid to ask. Does it have something to do with Camille?"

Ron merely nodded.

"Come up Ron. What's up?"

Ron sat in silence for several moments as he thought about what he was going to tell his friend. He took a deep breath before looking anywhere in the room but Felix.

"You know how Kim was saying that Camille was… well, evil and stuff?"

"Yeah."

"It's true. It's all true."

Felix nodded solemnly. Unlike Ron he had not turned a deaf ear to Kim's accusations. With no veil of love covering his eyes he soon saw the truth of what Camille really was.

"Yeah. I suspected it along with Kim and Monique. But after what happened with you and Kim, I didn't know how to approach you on it. I didn't want to make you think I was jealous too."

"I understand. I was a total jerk to Kim and Monique."

"Does that mean you forgive them?"

"For that, yes."

"What do you mean, for that? What else is there?"

"You haven't heard?"

Felix shook his head.

"They put a tracking chip in me."

"Wait, what?" Felix gasped.

Ron picked his controller back up and started a new game. Seeing this, Felix did as well. He figured that maybe it would be easier to talk about while playing a game of Zombie Mayhem.

"She and Wade put a chip inside me. Like I'm some kind of pet or something," he said angrily.

"And Kim told you that?"

"No. I found an anonymous note in my locker. When I asked her about it she admitted everything."

"Who put the note there?"

"I don't know and I don't care!"

Felix noticed that Ron was smashing the buttons on his controller angrily. Maybe talking about it while gaming wasn't helping after all.

"I didn't realize that the controller hurt you so bad," he commented.

Ron stopped playing and looked down at his hands and chuckled a bit. He was surprised by his reaction. It was the first time he had smiled all day.

"I know… I'm sorry man. I don't mean to be taking any of this out on you."

"No worries Ron."

"I'm just so angry. I'm mad at my best friend and my ex. You're the only person I have to turn to."

"Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…" Felix smiled.

"Thanks Yoda, but I can do without the whole dark side speech."

"Fair enough. But in all seriousness you shouldn't stay mad at Kim. You have to at least try to talk to her."

"I know, I know…" he sighed. "I mean, I know I'm going to forgive her eventually. How could I not? We've been so close for so long, we have to get through something like this. It's like knowing that we're going to get somewhere, just not knowing how we're going to get there or how long it will take. Does that make any sense?"

"I get it. And that has to be a sucky feeling."

"It is. Part of me wants to make everything better right now. But how can I? How can I just go to her house and be like, 'Hey Kim I forgive you and Wade for putting a tracking chip inside me'. I don't. I really don't. I just feel so violated and betrayed."

"Perfectly understandable, dude. Wounds like those won't heal overnight. You need to take time to vent and be angry. Otherwise there will just be resentment underneath your friendship."

"You really are wise like Yoda," Ron laughed.

"I'm just glad to get a laugh out of you."

"Yeah… thanks man. I really needed to have this talk."

"No problem. We're bros. If you can't talk to me about girl issues I don't know who else you can."

"I know. So how bad was it at school today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Camille told everyone she dumped me, right?"

Felix gave him a confused look. He had no idea what Ron was talking about.

"Nope. No one said a thing about it."

"Really? I thought it would be at least kind of a big deal."

"I didn't hear anything. Monique didn't say anything either. And if anyone would know it's her."

Ron scratched his head and frowned. It didn't make sense.

"Weird. She said she was going to ruin my reputation because I didn't want to team up with her."

"Team up with her? I think you're leaving out a lot of details."

"Yeah. I guess I am."

"So come on. What happened last night between you two?"

Ron took a deep breath. He might as well share the rest of the story with Felix. Keeping it bottled up inside wouldn't do him any good. Maybe getting everything out in the open would actually help with his depression.

"Okay. It all started when I snuck into her house because of a bunch of stuff Monique said…"

XXXXXXXXXX

The day had thus far been surprisingly tame. Maybe Felix was right.

When Ron arrived at school on Wednesday he hadn't exactly known what to expect. He had played a number of different scenarios in his head over and over. In some he had merely ignored the taunts and jeers from other students, and in others he actually worked up the courage to fight back… both verbally and physically. He knew that there was almost no shot of him ever doing that though. Teen hero or not, he couldn't bring himself to be bad like that no matter how good it would feel. For a moment he wondered how capable of a fighter he could be if he ever understood the strange mystical power he had been blessed with.

But when he had walked through the doors it was as if nothing had taken place between Camille and him. Everyone acted normally around him. Normally as in they pretty much ignored him. It was better than the alternative though. He made sure to keep an open ear to those around him who just might be talking about an ugly break up.

Then there had been American history class. It was the first class of the day that he shared with Camille. He was already seated when she had walked in. She had paid zero attention to him. He returned the favor.

One down, two to go.

Ron had just taken his seat in the library as he always did during study hall. He was thankful that he had plenty of makeup work to do. He smiled at the thought. Never in his life would he have thought that he would be happy to be doing school work. But at least it helped keep his mind off of everything else in his life. It was then that he remembered that he had lunch after study hall. He didn't know what he was going to do. He couldn't sit at the cheerleader table anymore. That was Camille's territory now, seeing how Bonnie was still suspended. And he didn't know if he should sit with Kim, Felix and Monique. Sure, he didn't have an issue with two of the three. But as he and Felix had discussed the prior day, he wasn't ready to forgive Kim yet. In time he would, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it yet.

A familiar face took a seat across from him. For a fraction of a second he thought about greeting his friend warmly. But then he remembered the truth.

"Hey Ron," Jill smiled.

"Camille," he said coldly.

She giggled at his reaction to seeing her.

"That didn't sound too nice."

"What did you expect? Did you think everything would be okay with us? Or rather with your little alter ego?"

"There's no reason for the attitude, Ron."

"What do you want?"

Camille looked up to the top of one of the book shelves sitting around them before looking back at him.

"I was just wondering if you could help me get a book from up there. I'm too short."

Ron let out a small, cynical laugh.

"Cute. That's how I first met Jill."

"Yeah… good times."

"For you maybe."

"You're saying you didn't have fun?"

"If you call fun being manipulated and taken advantage of by you, then oh yes. I had loads of fun," he said sarcastically.

"Who says all of that was me playing you?"

"Every word you said was working toward breaking up Kim and me. You admitted it yourself."

Camille gave a slight nod of her head acknowledging his point.

"Fair enough. But in all honesty, it wasn't all fake."

"Okay then. Tell me something that was real."

Camille looked off into the distance in thought. After a few seconds she returned her attention to him.

"Do you remember what I told you that night in the car after Bonnie's party?"

Ron's serious expression changed as he thought about it. He had so many pleasant memories of that night. He felt horrible knowing that they were all tainted.

"You said a lot of things that night. What are you referring to?"

"Do you remember what I said about being rich?"

"You mean that nothing in your life is real? That all of your friends just like you for your money?"

"You got it."

Ron laughed. It was a dark, mocking laugh that he couldn't ever remember hearing before this moment.

Camille's eyes narrowed in anger. What could he possibly be laughing at?

"What's so funny?" she growled softly.

"Nothing in your life is real? You're totally right about that. After what you pulled with me it's no wonder you don't have any friends who like you for you."

"You don't know anything about me."

"Right again Camille," he said as he continued to laugh. "How can I know anything about you when everything you've told me is a lie? How can I know the real you when you hide behind all your fake faces and personalities?"

"I do what I do for a reason."

"And then to top it all off you completely screw everything up with me, the one person who honestly did like you for you."

"You liked what I did and you know it."

All traces of humor left Ron's face when she uttered those words.

"What are you talking about?"

"Being with me improved your life in more ways than you want to admit."

"Go ahead. Explain."

"I remember the first time we officially met. You were at your locker all worried about getting beaten to a pulp by Big Mike. You were such a coward back then. It was sickening."

The insult got his blood flowing. His anger was evident on his face but he didn't say a word. Instead he just continued to listen.

"It was me who told you to stand up for yourself. Tell me Ron, what did it feel like to be a man for once? What did it feel like to not let yourself be bullied by people who aren't half as smart and capable as you are?"

He considered her words quietly before speaking up to counter her argument.

"That only worked because Mr. Barkin came and caught him right before he broke my nose," he pointed out.

"Yeah. Kind of convenient for him to show up right then and there, wasn't it?"

Ron's expression changed to one of shock. It was another piece of the puzzle.

"That was you?" he gasped.

"I told you I'm a great actress. By the way, boy's bathrooms are so dirty. What do you people do in there?"

He didn't bother answering such a pointless question. He chose to stay on topic.

"So I have you to thank for never having to worry about Big Mike again."

"Not just me. You were the one who actually had the courage to stand up to him. Courage provided by me, but still. You made it happen."

"I guess you're expecting a thank you?"

"No, Ron. The only thing I expect from you is to realize the truth."

"The truth is hard to come by when you're involved."

Camille grinned at the intended insult. He was playing right into her hands once again.

"The truth is that I made you stronger. I made you better."

"How so?"

"Think about it. How many times in the past couple of weeks have you done things, said things, that you never would have done before we met?"

He didn't really know what she was getting at. He chose to sit there silently as she continued.

"You stood up to Big Mike. You defended me against Bonnie. You wouldn't sit there and let people insult me, like that guy outside the movie theater last Saturday. Face it Ron, you got mad. You broke out of your comfort zone and acted like a man. And you did it all for me. In fact you're standing up to me right at this very moment."

"That's… not true. I stand up for myself all the time."

It was Camille's turn to laugh. He looked at her curiously.

"Yeah. Like how you stood up to your little cousin Shawn? Or those idiots in D hall? Or Bonnie? Come on, you know that you've been a victim all your life. Didn't it feel nice to be on top of the food chain while we were dating?"

He hated to admit it, but she was right. He hadn't ever stood up for himself. Sure, he had used the attitudinator on Shawn to make him nice. But once his parents found out they made him turn Shawn back to normal. And then it was back to business as usual. As for the others, Bonnie, Big Mike, the other assorted bullies… he had never stood up to them before. He had just taken whatever they had thrown at him. He mostly counted on Kim to defend him against them. He remembered how it was Camille who had convinced him to not rely on Kim.

"Whatever," he sighed in defeat. "What's your point?"

"My point is that I didn't do what I did out of cruelty."

"Really? It all seems pretty cruel to me."

She shook her head sadly. He didn't know whether it was out of pity or actual sorrow.

"I had to do this. I had to tear you down so I could build you back up. I had to separate you from Kim because she's holding you back. She makes you weak," she said before pausing. Her expression softened as she continued speaking. "You're feeling alone, confused, betrayed… broken. I get it. You're hurt. But it had to be done. I'm going to be honest with you. I had to break you free of your pathetic existence in order to make you realize your true potential."

"Right… my potential. You still think that I would ever work with you?"

"And why not? My offer still stands. Didn't it feel good seeing Brick get dumped and humiliated by Bonnie? Didn't it feel good to know that Bonnie got suspended? Or that Big Mike got all that detention? Who do you think is responsible for all that?"

"You…" he sighed.

"Yeah, me. Like it or not I did dispense karma on them. I made your enemies suffer. I did it all for you. I had to make you believe in it, to make you believe in yourself, to make you believe in me. Now tell me the truth, do you really wish that none of that stuff happened to them?"

He didn't. He honestly didn't. He enjoyed the fact that those three got what was coming to them. No matter how selfish or cruel the thought was, he felt no pity for them. Despite the fact that Bonnie was innocent, or that Brick had been drunk thanks to Camille, he thought that they deserved it. They had done so many horrible things to so many people, himself included. To finally see some retribution made him feel like justice was being carried out.

"Yeah? So what? They got what they deserved. That doesn't make me anything like you."

"No, you're nothing like me…" she grinned. "And that would be one of the best parts of our partnership."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She had two answers in mind for him. But she chose to go with the safe route. It would be the truth, just not the whole truth.

"Ever hear of Socrates?"

"Is he the guy who did all those peaceful protests in India?"

She was at a loss for words. Was he actually being serious? One look at his face told her that he was.

"No… he was an ancient Greek philosopher."

"Oh see, that's my problem. I'm taking Latin. Now if I was taking Greek then maybe-"

"Ron! Focus!"

Her raised voice earned them a dirty glare from Ms. Hatchet. She began speaking softer.

"Here's the abridged version. He was sentenced to death for corrupting the minds of the youth with his ideas. But really he was the smartest guy there."

"Okay, what does this have to do with me?"

"Being my partner might seem like I'm… corrupting you. It definitely will to Kim. But in reality I will be making you a better and stronger person. I can make you powerful. I can make sure that no one ever messes with you again. And together we could have anything we want."

"I already told you that I'm not interested," he said coldly.

"So you're just going to let yourself be pushed around all your life?"

"No. I can change on my own. I don't need you for that."

"Yeah right. If it wasn't for me you would still be paying off bullies every day so that you won't get your ass kicked."

Ron just looked down at the table. He didn't want to agree with that, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that it was true. Then another thought came to him.

"Did you tell people you dumped me?" he wondered.

"No. I didn't," she admitted.

"Why not?"

She considered what she should say. Of course she could be honest and tell him that it would be much easier to get him back on her side by not telling people that they had broken up. Hurting him would only make things worse. If he was back on the lowest social level in the school it would only increase the chances of him having to rely on Kim's friendship. If the status quo remained he would at least be somewhat popular, especially amongst the cheerleaders.

"I had some time to think about it. It wasn't the right thing to do," she said truthfully.

"So as far as people are concerned we're still dating?"

"Yup."

"What if I just tell people that we broke up?"

"Really? Do you want to be back on the bottom of the food chain? Do you want to get picked on again?"

"And if I tell them I dumped you? Wouldn't that put you at the bottom, being dumped by someone like me?"

She smirked at his bravery.

"Do you honestly think they'll believe you? All I have to do is say you're lying and that I just didn't want to ruin your rep by spreading the word that I dumped you. There's no way anyone in this school would believe that you dumped me."

"Kim will," he said defiantly.

"Oh right. How is tracking chip girl?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her in days."

"She's just another person who walked all over you because you could never stand up for yourself."

This was yet another statement that made Ron's anger grow.

"Don't you ever say something like that about her," he growled. "Kim's not like that. She's not like you."

"No, you're right. I'm much better than her. One perfect day you'll see it too."

He didn't feel like arguing anymore. He just wanted to be done with this.

"Have you said what you wanted to say? Are we done with this conversation?"

Camille exhaled loudly. He was tougher than she had thought he would be.

"Yeah. We're done here."

She stood up and walked over to the other side of the library. After she sat down she closed her eyes and thought about everything they had talked about. She had been foolish to admit something truthful about herself. He had thrown it right back in her face. More than that, he was fighting so furiously against her arguments and proposals. What had started as a fun little game had turned into an obsession. She had make him realize his potential. She had to break him.

She knew that she would have another shot with him today at cheer practice. And she had already assured that she would have him alone there with no interference from a certain redhead.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was on her way to the girl's locker room after school. It had been another long day. Ron had come to school, but had not spoken with her. She had not even approached him to talk. If he needed space she would give it to him. But it pained her so much to be without his presence at lunch. She didn't know where he had gone to eat, only that he hadn't been in the cafeteria.

As she walked down the hall she saw the hulking form of Mr. Barkin approaching her. His eyes were set on her as the two neared each other.

"Possible," he called out.

She stopped in her tracks at the sound of his voice. He didn't sound happy. Then again he never did.

"Yes Mr. Barkin?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Cheer practice."

"Have you forgotten that you have detention today?"

The confused look on Kim's face would have spoken for itself. But it didn't stop her from asking what he was talking about.

"Detention? Why do I have detention?"

"You know what you did. Today before fourth period you were running down the halls and you ran right into me. Running in the halls earns you a day of detention."

"What are you talking about? I never did-"

A cold realization hit her. Of course he had run into her today. The school had a student who could pose as anyone. Camille had already done it with Bonnie. And now she had turned her attention back to Kim.

There was no way Mr. Barkin would ever believe the truth. Kim could protest all she wanted and tell him that it was really Camille. He would laugh at the story and probably just give her more detention in addition to a call to the local mental hospital. She would have to serve her time today. Afterward she would deal with Camille.

She admitted defeat.

"Yes Mr. Barkin."

"Good," he said before looking up to one of the clocks. "You've got five minutes to be there or else you're late. And being late to detention gets you another day tomorrow."

He walked off toward the detention room with Kim standing there in silence.

She felt her teeth grind as she turned around and followed him. She didn't know why Camille had chosen to give her detention today. All she knew is that it couldn't be good.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron stepped out of the boy's locker room and into the gymnasium in his Mad Dog attire. The mats were on the floor and the cheerleaders had assembled. His fake canine head was underneath his arm as he made his way toward the bleachers. He looked around for the two people that he didn't particularly feel like talking to. He only spotted one.

Scanning the room again he saw no sign of Kim. But Camille was there chatting with the other girls. He approached them and overheard the middle of the conversation.

"So I was all like, you call those imported? Yeah, maybe they're imported from sweatshop in West Korea or something," Camille said to a few of the cheerleaders. "As if I'm going to buy your cheap little knockoffs."

"So what did the clerk say?" Jessica wondered.

Camille scoffed at the question.

"Like I remember anything that ugly chick said," she laughed. "I mean her outfit was like, so last season. Why would I ever pay attention to anything she said? I just walked out."

The girls gathered around her laughed at the story. Ron didn't get it. He figured he wasn't supposed to.

He was amazed at how she was acting. To them, in fact to pretty much the entire world, she was just some dumb, shallow bimbo. She was a stereotypical blonde. If only they knew the truth of who she really was and what she was capable of.

He decided that he didn't want to draw too much attention from her. He took Tara aside and spoke softly to her.

"Do you know where Kim is?" he asked.

"Oh she got detention earlier. I don't remember why, but she won't be here today."

"So who's leading practice?"

"I am. Seeing how Kim and Bonnie are both gone I have seniority."

"Ah. Well that's good for you I guess, even if the circumstances aren't the best."

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I don't really like why I'm in charge today. But I would be lying if I said that it wasn't cool to be leading the girls for once."

She took a few steps away from Ron and turned to the other cheerleaders.

"Okay everyone, let's get started!" she said happily. "Everyone take a few minutes to stretch out before we get to the routines."

The girls began spreading out to do their regular stretches. Ron noticed that Camille had turned her back to him and was bending over to touch her fingers to her toes. The view was obviously one that she wanted him to see.

Despite nearly every brain cell he had telling him to keep looking, he forced himself to turn away. He wandered over to another section of the mats to do his own stretches. He had barely even begun before he heard Camille's voice call out to him.

"Hey Ron, can you help me stretch out my hamstrings?" she asked sweetly.

He looked up and stared at her for a moment. She was sitting down on the floor with her long, smooth legs extended in front of her. He noticed that a couple of the other girls were looking at him, waiting for him to go over there. As far as they were concerned the two of them were still together.

"It's okay Ron, some stretches are better with a second person helping out," Tara said reassuringly.

He hesitated before he walked over to his ex girlfriend and knelt down beside her. She laid down flat on the mats and looked over at him.

"Kay, I need you to lift and bend my leg, and push my knee back up against my body," she told him.

He did as he was instructed and grabbed her leg. As he pressed it against her stomach a soft moan escaped her lips.

"That feels good," she said gently.

He held it there for a few seconds before doing the same with her other leg.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered.

"Because I don't want to cramp up or pull something during the routine."

"You know what I mean. Why are you putting me in this position?"

"Oh, I could have sworn you were attracted to girls," she joked.

He sighed and shook his head as they completed the stretch.

"I am. I'm just not too attracted to you at the moment."

"You don't think I'm hot?"

"Of course I do. I think any guy in the world would call you attractive. Stop playing games. You know what you did to me."

"And I already told you why I did it."

"I'm not interested in another argument. Especially in front of them."

He stood and walked away.

Camille sat up and watched him move to a different section of the mats. She continued doing her other stretches with the rest of the group. The way he acted was so confusing to her. Was he really that dedicated to his whole hero act? Any other guy would have taken up her original offer in an instant. She even explained to him why she had done what she did. He still seemed to hate her for it. She would have to think of another way to make him fall for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille was carefully reapplying her eyeliner, not that she truly needed it. But such touchups to her makeup had become a daily necessity. Years of being in the public spotlight taught her that she always had to look her best no matter where she was. She never knew what would come up in an instant and who would be there to take pictures of her. Therefore one had to look beautiful at all times.

She set the small cosmetic pencil down and examined her work. It was perfect. She demanded nothing less than perfection. She had learned that trait from her parents. And Ron was a blemish on that perfection.

She sighed as she continued to stare into her bathroom mirror. Why was he so difficult? It was really beginning to frustrate her. She had always gotten what she wanted in her life. It wasn't just that she had been wealthy growing up, she was good at getting people to do what she desired. Whether it was by using a compelling argument or her own feminine wiles, the word "no" held no meaning to her. And if by some chance somebody did manage to not cave into her demands, she worked to break them. Sometimes it got a bit ugly, but she always wound up getting what she wanted. Until now.

She opened up a small container of eye shadow and gently dipped the small brush into it. Before she could apply it she noticed that her appearance had changed. A girl with brown hair and teal eyes looked at her from the mirror.

"You're pathetic," Bonnie's face told her.

Her face was a mask of confusion as she looked at herself in the mirror. Bonnie mimicked her own expression, but it didn't stop her from speaking.

"What's wrong Camille? Getting all upset because you can't play that loser like you can everyone else?"

"I'm not upset," she said defensively.

She watched in horror as her appearance changed again. Her hair turned red and her eyes became a purer green color.

"As if Ron would ever want to be with someone like you," Kim's face sneered. "Now that he knows the real you it's hopeless. Give up while you still have some dignity."

Camille shook her head violently to try to regain control of her own thoughts and actions. She was pleased to see her familiar blonde hair and blue eyes in the mirror again.

"Freaky…" she said as she looked back down to her makeup.

She was about to start applying the blue eye shadow to her face when she noticed that Jill's face was now the one looking at her.

"You know it's not your fault that you turned out the way you did," she said kindly. "Your mom and dad didn't know how to raise a kid. They only did what they thought was best for you."

In the blink of an eye she had changed once more.

"Yeah. They really screwed you up good, didn't they?" Bonnie laughed. "Poor little socially awkward Camille never had any friends growing up. That's what you get for being isolated from all the other kids when you were homeschooled. Your parents thought the other kids were beneath you. You really took that idea to heart, didn't you? That's why you look at everyone else like a toy to be played with."

Memories flooded into Camille's mind as she closed her eyes tightly. Thoughts of being tutored at home by expensive, snobby teachers came back to her. They, like her parents, wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect. No daughter of theirs would grow up to be stupid. No daughter of theirs could stain the family name by growing up to be a failure. She had to study. She had to live up to their expectations. And the inferior common rabble of society would soil her mind if she got to associate with them too often.

"It's not your fault," Jill repeated. "You had to create us to keep yourself from going insane. Imaginary friends are better than no friends at all."

She heard mocking laughter as she opened her eyes and saw Bonnie's face again.

"Face it Camille. You're already insane. Look at yourself. You're talking to yourself in a mirror while you use your freaky powers to change your face. You're a total nutcase."

"I'm not crazy, I'm just lonely," Camille said weakly.

"Exactly," Jill agreed. "You live in this house all by yourself. You've been alone your entire life. It's all you know."

"And you did a great job of pushing away your first true friend," Kim said. "You don't deserve a great guy like Ron in your life. He hangs out with people like me who are actually worth the effort."

"Shut up. You don't know anything."

"Don't know anything?" Kim laughed. "I'm you! I know everything about you. We all do. But you don't seem to realize that you've created so many characters and personalities in your life that _you_ don't even know who you are anymore."

"You know who you are, and so do Kim and Ron," Bonnie said. "To them you're just a bitch… like me."

"That's not true," Jill protested. "She's a sweet girl who likes Shakespeare. Remember when you were young how you fell in love with Iago's character? That's what got you hooked on Shakespeare. It's not your fault that your parents were so distant and you had to find a way to escape from a lonely life."

"They had important things to do," Camille agreed. "Dad had a business to run."

"Yeah I remember," Bonnie said. "Your dad was always off on some business trip, probably with some classy whore to keep him company. I remember the thing that hurt the most was that while he always remembered to send you a car or some jewelry for your birthday, he never once remembered to send a birthday card. That little personal touch was always missing. I bet he never even remembered your birthday and that it was just his secretary doing it for him."

Camille gave up on trying to put on her makeup. She stuffed everything in her purse before looking back up into the mirror.

"So what did you do?" Bonnie continued. "You became bitter. You closed yourself off from ever getting hurt again. You decided that you didn't need anyone in your life to be happy. You decided to believe that the world existed purely for your own enjoyment. You were rich and privileged, so why not? That's why you got the surgery. So you could always get your way, so that no one could ever deprive you of what you needed. You did it so you could manipulate anyone you wanted, so you could finally have the control over your life that you so desperately craved."

"And now I know everything you've done," Kim smiled. "You know it's only a matter of time until I bring you down. I can do anything after all."

"No. No one's going to stop me once I get Ron on my side. I've seen what he can do. No one will ever be able to hurt me again."

"You're so hung up on that boy and his so called 'potential'," Bonnie smirked. "You know exactly why you didn't answer his question the other night. You didn't want to make yourself vulnerable in case he still rejected you. And you really hate being vulnerable, don't you? Everything always has to be on your terms. You keep people at a distance so you can control them. You do it so you can't get hurt."

Camille noticed her eyes glistening as she morphed back into Kim.

"Face it Camille. No one will ever love a screwed up girl like you. Your fake relationship with Ron is the closest thing you'll ever have to a real one. You're a sociopath."

"Shut up Kim!" she screamed.

"Still crazy I see," she laughed. "You don't even know who you are anymore."

"Shut up!"

Camille lashed out and punched the laughing redhead in the mirror. The glass cracked on contact, and she immediately pulled her hand back in pain. Looking down at it she saw blood flowing out of a deep gash on one of her fingers. She gritted her teeth in pain as she immediately turned on the faucet and held it under warm water. Red-tinted water flowed down the drain as she stood there breathing heavily. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt the throbbing pain in her hand.

Her newly applied eyeliner was running down her cheeks with a few scattered tears that had escaped from her eyes. All of her work had been ruined, much like all of her work on Ron had been.

It had been a long time since she had talked to herself like that. What had started out as a way to escape the dull reality of her life as a child had soon taken on a life of its own. Her lack of a social life as a child, her lack of friends, had forced her to create imaginary ones. Sometimes they were based on the Shakespearean characters that she loved to read about in her studies. Sometimes they were mimicking people she saw on TV. She didn't know any better back then, it was a way to conquer the loneliness.

It was why she had created her false persona of being a spoiled, ignorant celebrity. It was a way to escape her past. Her parents had been furious when they first saw her acting this way on TV. Their perfectly groomed daughter had become a celebrity icon for stupidity and shallowness. They had disowned her because of it. She was left with only the money in her bank account and her trust fund. She figured that it was good enough as long as she was free from the life they were forcing her to live. That was until the Seniors struck.

She wasn't able to access her trust fund until she was twenty two, which was still four years away. All of the money from that was stored at the Billionaire's Club. It, along with much of her family's fortune had been wiped out. It left her with precious little funds to support her future extravagant lifestyle. But more so than that, no matter how much she resented her parents, no one screwed with the Leon family. She had made it her mission in life to avenge her family and herself against the Seniors. So far things had gone decently, but she had not yet begun to make the billionaire villains suffer how she had envisioned.

After cleaning her wound she bandaged it the best she could. There was still blood seeping out of it coloring the gauze red. She only hoped that it would feel good enough for sectionals on Friday.

But right now she had a job to do. She had received a call from Shego offering her a new job. It paid even better than the original one from Dr. Drakken. How or why Shego was doing this she didn't know. But it was money. Money that she desperately needed if she wanted to continue to live in this house and ensure that her own plans were successful.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was sitting in her living room working on a Latin assignment when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked up and realized that she was the closest to the door. Grunting as she stood up she made her way to the front door to see who it was. She was surprised by who she saw.

"Ron?" she asked.

"Hey Kim…" he said weakly.

She was thrilled yet terrified. Did this mean he wasn't mad at her anymore? Or could it be something worse? Did he come here to formally end their friendship? As she thought about the exciting and horrifying possibilities she didn't even realize that he was still standing out there waiting for something to happen. He finally spoke again.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes!" she said a bit too excitedly. "I mean yes. Of course you can."

She stepped back and gestured for him to enter. He did so and the two walked back to her living room. They didn't bother sitting down, and just stood uncomfortably looking down at the floor.

"Kim, I don't even know how to begin saying what I'm about to say," he said sadly.

"It's okay, Ron. Remember it's me you're talking to. You can tell me anything."

He nodded before looking at her face.

"You were right. You were right about Camille, about everything. She played me."

Kim felt a mix of emotions. On one hand she was overjoyed that her best friend had finally learned the truth about Camille. The healing process could truly begin now. Maybe they would be okay after all.

But on the other hand it hurt her to see him in so much pain. She had never wanted it to come to this, even though she knew that it had to. The only way he could break free of Camille's grip on him was to learn who she really was. And that meant the heartbreak of losing his first girlfriend. More than just losing her though, learning that she had never even cared for him in the first place. It was a truly awful feeling.

"Ron… I'm so sorry. I know how hurt you must be feeling right now. But you have to remember that it's for the best."

He chewed on his bottom lip after hearing this.

"Yeah. I know. It just… well it sucks. I know that's a pretty simple way to describe it, but I can't think of another way to say it right now."

She knew what he meant. At least in theory. She had never experienced an ugly breakup herself. But she had seen enough episodes of Agony County to know how much pain a broken heart caused. She was determined to be there for him through it all.

"I know it hurts right now, but it will get better. We'll get through this together. I'm your best friend and I don't want you to forget that."

He nodded once more. It was then that Kim felt like it was her turn to apologize.

"I owe you an apology too, Ron," she said softly.

His eyes looked back down at the floor. He knew what was coming next.

"Ron, I'm so sorry about the tracking chip. Wade installed it like a year ago and I didn't even know about it until afterward. I should have told you right away. But I didn't. And I should have told you when you asked how I found you. But I didn't… I was so stupid. I was scared of how you would react. And it only made things worse."

A small, warm expression formed on his face when he heard her genuine words. He looked back up at her.

"I forgive you," he smiled.

Kim fought to hold back tears of joy. It was over. After all of the angst and sorrow, it was finally over. She had her best friend back. And she was determined to ensure that nothing would ever separate them like this again.

"Thank you Ron…" she whispered as she pulled him into a tight hug.

He returned the embrace for a few seconds before they pulled apart. Both of them were smiling.

"So where do we go from here?" she wondered.

"I don't know. But I heard from Wade that you got a souvenir from your trip to Australia."

"Oh right. The monkey head thing."

"Yeah, that's the one," he confirmed. "I wanna see the monkey head."

She started to walk to her room to retrieve it when a thought struck her. He wanted to see the monkey head? Why would he ever want to see something that had to do with monkeys?

She turned around and looked at him. There was nothing abnormal about his body other than the small bandage on his hand. But then she looked into his eyes. She hadn't had enough courage to look into them for too long when they were apologizing. She was simply too scared to make eye contact with the person she thought hated her. As she looked into them she realized that something was wrong. These were not the deep pools of love and kindness that she had come to know over their years of friendship. They were thinner, and looked almost… cunning… malevolent.

She looked at him fearfully, and it did not go unnoticed by him.

"Kim?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Ron… what do you call a person who refuses to shop at Smartymart?"

He thought about it for a moment before answering.

"I don't know. Sounds kind of smart to me. No risk of buying a cheap knockoff."

Almost as soon as he had finished speaking he felt a fist slam into his jaw. He was knocked to the floor with Kim pressing a knee down on his chest.

"Kim!" he shouted. "What are you doing?"

"I told you how personal you've made things with me!" Kim roared. "But you didn't listen! You've just made the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Kim what the heck! Get off of me!"

She sent another fist into Ron's face. He cried out in pain as he felt the pressure on his chest increasing.

"Shut up Camille! You have no idea how much you've hurt Ron and how much you've hurt me! Do you think this is a game? Do you think I'm going to sit back and watch you ruin our lives? If so you couldn't be more wrong. What you did just now is take this to the next level. You don't know what I'm capable of when I'm pushed over the edge."

She took her knee off of his chest for a moment and he tried to scramble to his feet. He received another punch to the face for his efforts.

"You have serious issues, Camille," she growled. "I don't know what happened to you as a kid, but you're messed up."

Ron's face erupted in anger at her words.

"I'm not crazy!" he screamed.

For a moment Kim was stunned by the response she received. It didn't matter though, she wasn't about to let him break free of her hold. But she couldn't stop others from intervening.

Drawn to the room by the screaming, Anne gasped in horror as she saw her daughter assaulting her best friend. She rushed over to the two teens and pried Kim off of him.

"Kim what are you doing!" she shrieked.

The battered body of Ron stood from the floor and rushed out of the room and through the front door.

Meanwhile Kim continued to struggle in her mother's grasp. She had to get free and pursue him.

"Let go of me mom! That's not Ron!" she yelled. "That's not Ron!"

But it was too late. By the time she was finally able to escape Ron was long gone. Kim stood in the doorway with her fists clenched and tears streaming down her face. It had all been a lie. There was no forgiveness. Everything was the same. No, not the same. Everything was a lot worse now.

She stormed past her mother and fled upstairs to her room. She didn't know what to do. All she knew is that she wanted to be alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron entered his dark bedroom as he began preparing to go to sleep. All in all it had been a bad day. He learned more about his fake relationship with Camille. He learned about how all of the things he had accomplished over the past two weeks had been because of her manipulation. He had two options. He could either admit that he had not changed at all because none of the experiences had been real. Or he could admit that he had changed for the better, and it was because of her. Both choices were sickening. He didn't want to consider either.

He closed his door and flipped the light switch on his wall. When he turned around his heart skipped a beat. There was someone else in his room.

"Shego?" he said with a confused expression.

"Hello Stoppable."

He stood there dumbfounded as he continued to stare at her. He stupidly asked the only thing that came to his mind.

"Why are you wearing a cape?"

She didn't answer, and instead sent a hard fist into his face that sent him falling over on his bed. He looked up and saw that she had picked an object off of the ground. It sent feelings of horror coursing through his body.

She roughly forced a helmet onto his head before he began convulsing violently. It only took a few seconds for a small glass bulb to be filled with blue light.

When the attitudinator was finished with its work he slumped backwards onto his bed. The Supreme One removed it from his head and stood there for a moment while Ron regained his senses.

"What… happened?" he asked woozily.

He received his answer in the form of a second punch to the face. This one knocked him out cold as he again fell back onto his bed.

"Sleep it off, sidekick," she snickered. "You have a busy day ahead of you. Try to play nice with your classmates. Especially Kimmie."

She ignited her hands and broke the attitudinator into a thousand small pieces that scattered onto his floor. There was no point in keeping it around now that its job was done. And since the device was taken off the market after the debacle at the Super Villain Trade Show and Convention, there was no chance of a quick fix for the newest distraction in Kim's life. Luckily she had been able to purchase one before the buffoon had been turned evil the first time.

The Supreme One leapt out of his window, leaving behind only charred bits of plastic and metal, as well as two glass bulbs as the only evidence of what had just occurred.


	14. Blueberry Kisses Forever

Authors Note: I was feeling excited about writing this next phase of the story. That explains the quick update. So I hope you enjoy the ride. Thanks again to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Your feedback is truly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_I'm on a mission,  
And it involves some heavy touching, yeah,  
You've indicated your interest,  
I'm educated in sex, yes,  
And now I want it bad. Want it bad,  
A love game. A love game."_

_~Lady Gaga, 'Love Game'_

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille winced as she touched the bruise on her left cheek. Icing it the previous night had helped somewhat, but there was still a purplish blemish on her flawless face. She hated it. Her natural beauty was one of her finest attributes. And that… Amazon, that world saving freak, had struck her numerous times. Kim Possible would pay. She was determined to make sure of that.

She was already dressed on this Thursday morning as she continued looking in the mirror. Her short red skirt and tight black top were sure to draw her a little extra attention today. She could take her time finishing up as she didn't have to be at school for another hour. Still plenty of time to find a way to cover the ugly mark on her cheek.

She groaned when she heard the doorbell ring. What kind of idiot would be up this early coming to her house? If it was some kind of salesperson she wasn't going to hold back on any insults. Then again maybe it was someone selling Pixie cookies. She did enjoy those…

Walking down her stairs she heard the doorbell ring again. This fool was really beginning to annoy her.

"Hey stupid! I'm coming!" she yelled, not even sure if the person would be able to hear her. It just felt good to vent a bit.

She pulled the front door open angrily and prepared to give the person the verbal beating of their life. Instead her words were caught in her throat.

"Hello Camille," Ron said emotionlessly.

"What do you want?"

He stared directly into her eyes without answering. She unconsciously moved her feet a bit. It was an unnerving look.

"Well?" she asked.

Rather than responding he gripped her waist with his left hand and brought her body close to him. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face with his right hand and didn't break his gaze on her.

Her heart was beating rapidly as he brought his head close and planted a firm kiss on her lips. She struggled in his grasp and tried in vain to push him off of her. But as the kiss continued a single thought returned to her shocked mind. It could only mean one thing. He had finally caved. He was once more hers. Her world made sense again. She had finally won.

After this realization she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss. They continued for a few seconds before he released her. She took a step backwards with a grin on her face.

"Come in," she said as she took his hand and led him inside.

Once she had closed the door behind them she turned around and was about to speak. Instead she saw his hand lash out and grip her throat. He forced her against the door while she tried desperately to pry his fingers off of her. He wasn't cutting off her oxygen, but it was definitely a position that she did not want to be in. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized that she could not break free of his grasp.

She attempted to knee him in the groin, but the attack was deflected as he brought his own leg up to block hers. They lingered there for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"You said that you wanted me to be your partner?" he asked. "You said that you were impressed by what I'm capable of? You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Even if his hand wasn't still around her throat she wouldn't have been able to speak. She was simply too terrified by what was happening to say anything. She didn't know what was going on or what he was going to do.

"At first I wondered what I should do with you. You manipulated me. You lied to me. You hurt me. For that I should destroy your world and everything you hold dear. But then I remembered the good times. Do you remember the good times, Camille?"

Her eyes remained wide and her lips remained shut. Her heart was thumping fearfully in her chest. She didn't know what he wanted her to say. Was he being sarcastic? Was it some kind of test? She decided that her best course of action would be to remain silent.

He brought his face close to hers so that their lips were nearly touching.

"I remembered the taste of your lips," he whispered before pulling his head back.

He gently ran his left hand through her bleached blonde hair.

"The smell of your hair."

His hand moved to softly touch her arm.

"The feel of your skin."

His eyes looked longingly into her own. She couldn't meet his frightening gaze and turned away.

"The color of your eyes."

He paused and glanced off to the side for a moment before returning his attention to her.

"I remembered how good it felt to hold you against me. You used to be so sweet to me when we dated. I remembered it all, and I want to feel those emotions again. I want to feel you again. And I want it to be real this time."

He frowned as she continued to avoid looking at him.

"Because you see, I realized something after constantly trying to forget about you these past few days. I hated you. I hated you so much for what you did to me. The more I hated you the more I thought about you. And the more I thought about you the more I couldn't get you out of my head. I tried so hard, but there was something about you I couldn't get over. You were my first girlfriend. I experienced things with you I hadn't before with anyone in my life. You shared a whole new world with me. A guy doesn't get over that too easily. You're like a drug, Camille. And I'm addicted to you."

He gently cupped her chin with his free hand and made her look into his eyes as he continued to speak.

"And now that I've… changed…" he said as he took time to carefully choose which word he should use to describe his new attitude. "I've reconsidered my feelings for you. I've reconsidered your explanation for doing what you did to me. I've thought about your offer too. You want a bad romance? You've got one. And you've got a partner as well. But know this. If you ever toy with my emotions again I will break you."

A malevolent grin spread across his face when he was finished speaking. Now that she knew his intentions she wasn't as afraid of him. She knew she should be afraid. His hand was still around her neck. But seeing that grin, seeing this unfamiliar aggression from him… it was hot. She felt butterflies in her stomach. The adrenaline that was flowing through her, the danger of the position she was in… it turned her on. It helped her regain her confidence as she spoke.

"I'll toy with any part of you that I want… and you'll like it," she smirked.

His toothy grin erupted with dark laughter as he released his hand from her throat. He pulled her into a lustful, hungry kiss that she returned with equal fervor. She forced herself off of the door and pushed him back up against a nearby wall. As they continued she closed her teeth on his bottom lip and bit into him. If he felt any pain he didn't show it as they separated. Her hold on his flesh was broken only after they had finally come apart.

Ron moved his tongue over his lip and detected a familiar coppery taste. But before he could do anything else he felt the sting of the back of her hand as she struck him across his face. His head was turned aside by the force of the blow. He looked back at her as she began speaking.

"Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again!" she screamed. "Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

He laughed at her sudden transition from lust to anger.

"What's wrong Camille? You don't like it rough?"

"Rough is good. I just don't like surprises," she grinned.

"Fair enough."

He moved away from the wall and started to walk toward the middle of the room. But before he could get too far Camille grabbed his arm and stopped him. She slowly walked in a circle around him, examining him up and down as she went. When she was in front of him again she looked at him quizzically.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but I like it."

"Yeah, I figured that you would be the one person who would."

Camille thought about what he meant by that. Of course he meant Kim wouldn't. It was perfect. Now she didn't even have to manipulate him into liking her. She had finally turned Ron to her side. She couldn't wait to get to school to flaunt it in the redhead's face. But still, she had to know more.

"What made you change your mind?"

He shrugged.

"A little visit from Shego last night to remind me of my evil potential," he said casually.

She was flooded with rage when she heard his explanation. Shego? What had that green freak done that she hadn't been able to do? How was that hag able to turn him when a beautiful young woman like herself couldn't?

"There had better be more to that story," she warned him.

"What's wrong? Jealous?"

"Tell me."

He laughed at her anger once more.

"Don't get so upset, Camille. It took some help from an attitudinator to get me feeling this good. Or bad, whatever. All I know is that it feels good to be bad again."

A mix of relief and disappointment entered her mind. At least Shego hadn't been the one to make him turn his back on a life of heroism. Still though, she hadn't been able to do it either. It had taken some artificial assistance to finally make him see things her way. But then again, Barry Bonds officially held the Major League Baseball home run record. Sometimes people got away with a bit of performance enhancement. She figured that she wouldn't be picky about it. She had gotten what she wanted.

"Whatever. At least you're finally off Possible's leash."

"The Mad Dog can't be tamed."

"We'll see about that."

His eyes were drawn away from her own and to her cheek. She noticed this and moved her hand to cover the imperfection. It wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone. But he wouldn't let her hide it. He gently took her hand off of her face and looked at the bruise. He lightly brushed his thumb across the darkened mark. It caused her to pull away from him. He wasn't sure whether her reaction to his touch was because of pain or shame.

"What happened to you?"

"Kim. She hit me."

"Why?"

"Because last night I tried to get some stupid monkey head statue from her. Apparently it's important to Drakken and Shego or something."

"Monkey head…" he growled.

"You hate monkeys," she said knowingly. "I remember reading about it."

"I really do."

"I was stupid to be so direct about it. I… wasn't in the mood to do a lot of planning," she said remembering her bathroom mirror. "That's how she knew it wasn't really you."

A soft laugh escaped his lips.

"You live and you learn."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

She smiled at his brazenness. He was definitely a changed man. No one would ever push him around again.

"You know what I hate?" she asked.

"What."

"Kim."

"I know."

"Do you hate her?"

He didn't answer her right away. He looked to the floor as he thought about it. It hadn't been the response she had been expecting. She had expected him to say "yes" right away. He was evil now after all. But eventually he said the right answer.

"Yes."

"What took you so long?"

"Had to consider the reasons."

"And what did you come up with?"

"She's a good guy. I'm a bad guy. She'll try to stop me… she'll try to stop us. She put that thing inside me," he said referring to the tracking chip. "Back when I was… weak, as you put it, I was going to forgive her. I've since seen the error of my ways."

"Good boy."

"But you know why I hate her the most?"

"Why?"

He lightly wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close to him. Two pairs of eyes were locked on each other as he answered.

"Because she hurt you."

Camille felt the breath being sucked out of her when she heard those words. He couldn't have said anything more beautiful and perfect than that. It was the stuff of a stupid romance movie. A lesser girl would have gone weak in the knees.

"So what are you going to do about it?" she wondered.

"I don't know. What should we do?"

She considered what she should say. She honestly didn't know what she should do about it. Only one vague answer came to mind.

"Ron, I wanna cause some chaos."

He smiled at her response and took her hands in his. He felt something unusual on her right hand. He lifted it up and saw the bandage.

"Did she do this too?"

She thought about saying yes. It wouldn't be a complete lie. She had punched Kim's reflection in the mirror. But she decided that she didn't need to lie to him anymore. He was hers now. Hers to do with as she pleased. And together they would wreak sweet havoc on anyone they wanted. All of his enemies… and all of hers… would suffer.

"No. That was my fault."

He nodded in understanding.

"Good. There won't be any more pain for you. But I can't say the same for everyone else."

She looked over at the digital clock on her entertainment system and saw the time.

"Want to go to school now?" she asked.

"Not really. But we have to. Who do you want to screw with first?"

She considered their options. There were a few good candidates at Middleton High School that they could torment. Since Bonnie wasn't around she went to the next best thing.

"How about Brick?"

"Brick works."

"And then Barkin," she said remembering her time in detention. And she knew that Ron hated him as well.

"Definitely Barkin."

As they locked their lips in another lustful kiss, Camille thought about how things had suddenly changed in her life. She had gone from utter defeat to complete victory overnight. She didn't know why Shego had done what she did. She would have to talk to the older woman about it. But for now she was just happy that her own plan was finally complete. He may not have been turned evil by her, but this was just as good. And it hadn't even required any extra effort on her part.

This was the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was on autopilot as she stalked the halls of Middleton High School. The previous evening had been one of the worst experiences of her life, if not the worst. She had been so relieved when she and Ron had talked. They had forgiven each other. Everything was going to be okay. Then she had found out that it was all a lie. Another lie by that psychotic freak Camille Leon.

In her line of work Kim had had a lot of enemies. She faced injury and even death on a regular basis when she went on a mission. But she had never gotten to the point where she hated the villains who tried to harm her. Even Shego had some sliver of honor when it came to their conflicts. But not Camille. To her nothing was off limits, nothing was taboo. She had invaded every aspect of Kim's life. Camille had taken her reputation, her friends, and had even set foot inside her house. The thought of Camille hugging her while she was disguised as Ron disturbed Kim to no end. And the fact that she had been able to get so close to her family was something that scared her immensely.

As she continued down the hall she was brought out of her daze when she was nearing Ron's locker. It used to be such a great place. They used to chat about all sorts of stupid and meaningless things next to it. But now it was just a symbol for everything she had lost. It was a symbol for everything that Camille had done to her.

There they were. Both Ron and Camille were standing next to his locker chatting. She saw Camille laugh at something, but she had not heard whatever Ron had said to cause it. As she neared them she noticed Camille's eyes look up to her. Her mouth moved and Ron turned around to look at Kim. There was a sly grin on his face. Then he did something she had not expected. He motioned for her to come by him.

Something was up. Kim didn't know why he wanted to talk to her, especially with Camille around. But she wasn't about to refuse an opportunity to talk with him. If there was even the slightest chance of helping him see the truth behind Camille's lies she would take it. She stopped a couple of feet away from them.

"Hello Kim," he said with a smile.

"Hey Ron," she said cautiously.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Um, I guess. How have you been?"

"Honestly? I'm doing great. Feeling really good. Well, not good I guess. But you know what I mean, right?"

Kim frowned at his confusing answer. It didn't sound like something he would normally say. She had the expertise in that area to know too. Being best friends with someone for twelve years taught you a lot about the little details of who they were.

"Um, that's good… I guess…"

"It's better than good. It's bad."

"You're not making any sense Ron. Are you feeling okay?"

"I haven't felt this well since… I don't know. When did we go to that super villain convention thing?"

She didn't know why he had randomly brought that up. He seriously wasn't making any sense.

"Sectionals are tomorrow. Is the squad ready for them?"

Finally something that she could answer.

"Yeah. Everyone looks good. Even you," she said referring to Camille.

Camille bowed her head mockingly at the compliment.

"Thank you, captain," she said sarcastically.

"Just try not to blow it. You are the new girl after all."

"Yeah… It would be a shame if I messed up the pyramid and you fell down from the top of it. I would just _hate_ to see you get hurt in an accident like that."

Ron burst out laughing at the comment. Kim looked at him in horror.

"Oh Camille that wouldn't be nice. We don't want to really injure her."

Kim was stunned in disbelief by what Ron had just said. How could he say such a thing?

"I guess you're right. All that violence stuff is something that only a person like she would do," she said referring to the makeup-covered bruise on her cheek.

"Yeah. We have other methods we can use on her," he agreed.

"Ron… how can you say that?" Kim gasped.

Ron smiled before he exaggeratedly turned his head to look around to see if anyone else was there. It was the middle of the hall so of course it was crowded. He brought his face close to Kim's and used his hand to unnecessarily shield his mouth from the other people.

"Because I'm a bad boy," he whispered.

He stepped back and chuckled at Kim as her eyes widened in realization to what must have happened to him. Her face filled with anguish as she slowly shook her head.

"No… please no…" she whimpered.

Her words caused him to erupt in full-blown laughter as his former best friend continued to stand there on the verge of tears. But she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Her sadness was soon mixed with bitter hatred as she looked at Camille. Her tears were held in check as she felt her jaw clench just seeing the source of her problems.

"What did you do to him!" she yelled.

The blonde hooked her arm around one of his and looked lovingly at his face.

"Honestly, I didn't do anything," she said before looking back at Kim. "But isn't it wonderful?" she said dreamily.

"You're going to pay for this."

"How's that? Are you going to hit me again? Here, Kim?"

"No. I'm not stupid enough to fight on school grounds, especially in front of the cameras in the hall."

"Smart girl. Too bad you weren't smart enough to prevent any of this from happening. Remember how I said that I got off on watching your world crumble around you? It's even better than I could have imagined."

Kim's fists tightened when Camille was speaking. It didn't go unnoticed by Ron.

"Now now Kim, don't lose your cool," he warned her. "We wouldn't want to have our star flyer suspended before the big event tomorrow."

Kim did her best to calm herself down. She had to remember that this wasn't Ron's fault. If what she suspected was true, all of the goodness in him had been drained from his mind. What was speaking to her wasn't the Ron she knew. It was just pure evil.

"Ron, please, you have to tell me what happened to you," she pleaded. "Please let me help you."

"You know what Kim? You already did help me."

"What?"

"You helped me by putting that tracking chip in me. Without that I don't know if I could hate you the way I do right now. I guess that's what we call a blessing in disguise, right?"

Kim felt nauseous when she heard his logic. It all came back to that stupid tracking chip. Had it not been there he might only be as evil as he was several months earlier when the attitudinator was first used. But with all the resentment and anger that had been building up inside him lately he had become something far worse than before. Seeds of hatred and bitterness had been planted in him for weeks by Camille. Kim herself had cultivated those seeds when the truth about her involvement in the tracking chip had surfaced. And now he had blossomed into a dark weed oozing with venom and spite. It hurt her to see what he had become. It hurt just as much to know that she not only had a part in creating it, but to know that she could have prevented it had she simply had the courage to tell him the truth.

"Ron, this isn't you. You have to remember who you are."

"Who I was is something I want to forget. I was weak and pathetic back then. I was worthless. I was mocked and picked on by my peers. Camille tried to make me strong, but I was too stupid to realize it at the time. And now that I've been given this second chance I don't intend to let it slip through my fingers again."

"Tried to make you strong? Does that mean you know about all the stuff she did to you?"

"I do. She came clean and told me everything when I asked. Unlike someone else I know…"

"How can you stand the sight of her then?"

"What can I say… she's my bad habit that feels so good. Like I told her this morning, I'm addicted to everything about her. I'm drawn to her like a moth to a flame."

"You don't mean that! You're not evil! You're a nice, caring person. You're my best friend…"

Ron shrugged at her pleas before turning to Camille.

"Hey Camille?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna show her who my new best friend is?"

"With pleasure."

She wrapped an arm around his torso kissed him passionately as she pushed him against the lockers. Her other hand moved around behind him where it rested firmly on his butt before giving it a squeeze. All of this was done in plain sight of the horrified Kim.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Kim ran off through the hall as they continued their public display of affection. She didn't have a destination. She didn't even remember which direction she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away from the sight she had just witnessed. She had seen many disturbing things in her life while on missions, but none were as traumatic as that. Eventually she stopped when she realized that she was far away from them. It was then that she remembered that she couldn't escape. She had every single one of her classes with him except for fourth period. And that was when Camille had him alone. Camille was right. Her world truly was falling apart right before her very eyes.

She had thought things were bad when Ron only resented her for being jealous of his girlfriend and the tracking chip. Never in her wildest dreams could have she imagined it being worse. But here it was. She felt sick. She was physically ill. The stress was too much. She couldn't be here, she couldn't take this. The nurse's office wasn't too far away. It wouldn't be a lie if she said she had to go home because she wasn't feeling well. Right now it was the only thing she wanted to do.

She took a deep breath and felt chills spreading through her body before heading toward the office. On her way she thought about what she had previously considered to be the worst experience of her life. It was nothing now. She had a new one to take its place. Again she couldn't imagine anything worse. But she had learned by now that there were just some things a human mind shouldn't be able to envision.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron was alone at his locker gathering books for his next few classes. He thought about how beautifully things had gone earlier. He was right about not needing to get physical with Kim. A healthy dose of psychological warfare had been all that was needed to crush her. He hadn't seen her all day. He assumed that she had found a way to leave school rather than face the rest of the day. While he couldn't blame her for such a decision he was still disappointed. There was still so much fun to be had. Fun that she would miss.

He was snapped from his thoughts when he heard someone say his name. He turned and saw Felix next to him.

"Hey Ron…" he said uneasily.

A genuine smile crossed Ron's face when he saw his friend.

"My good friend Felix, how are you?"

"I'm okay. But I heard from Monique that you aren't."

"What could she have meant by that?"

Felix frowned. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Monique said that Kim told her you were… different."

Ron smiled as he closed his locker door and looked at him.

"I don't expect you to understand why I'm doing what I am. But I want you to know this, Felix. I have nothing but good memories of us. You have always been a loyal and trusted friend of mine. You helped me out when I needed you. You're right, we're bros. And because of this I can assure you that no harm will come to you or Monique. Pass that message along to her. I only ask that you stay out of my way while I do what has to be done."

He was about to walk away with Felix grabbed his arm and stopped him. Ron paused and looked back at him.

"Please Ron, you have to snap out of it. If you won't let Kim help you, let me help you. Like I did when we were gaming the other day."

Felix had expected some kind of angry backlash from Ron for grabbing him like that. But there was no such reaction from the blonde. Instead he just smiled again.

"Like I said, you don't understand. I appreciate your concern, but it isn't needed. I'm better than I was before. Soon you'll see that too."

Felix made no attempt to stop him the second time he walked away. He had tried his best in the time given to him. Clearly Ron wouldn't listen to him. Not that he had really expected such a miracle. If he wouldn't listen to Kim what chance did he stand?

He shook his head disappointedly as he went to his next class.

XXXXXXXXXX

After school Brick was walking to his car. There had been no room in the school's parking lot this morning so he had to park on the block next to it. Sometimes he wished he had started some kind of petition for the important sports stars in the school to have priority parking. But that required too much thought and effort. He saw two people near his car. He squinted his eyes trying to get a better picture of them off in the distance. But as he grew closer there was no mistake. It was Bonnie. And Ron Stoppable?

Both of them were leaning against his car chatting. They were also very close to each other. He noticed Bonnie's hand making a lot of contact with Ron's arm as they talked. It filled him with anger as he neared the vehicle.

"Hey Stoppable! What are you doing near my car?" he yelled angrily.

"Oh hey Brick. What's up?" he asked casually.

"I asked you a question, nerd. What are you doing with Bonnie next to my car?"

"Brick, I didn't expect to see you here," Bonnie lied.

"Why are you hanging out with this loser? And you still haven't answered my damn question, Stoppable!"

"Oh that. I was just checking out her headlights…" Ron smirked.

"You'd better be talking about the ones on the front of the car," Brick warned him.

"And if I'm not?"

Brick was stunned. What was wrong with Ron? He had never been so bold before. He had never truly stood up for himself like this. He would have to teach the little punk a lesson.

"Isn't Camille dating you for some weird reason? Why are you checking out Bonnie?"

"I'm a man of many tastes. And Bonnie is a woman of many tastes, if you know what I mean. I know you do."

"You little… don't talk about my woman like that."

Ron began laughing maniacally when he heard Brick's choice of words.

"Your woman? I seem to remember her dumping you at a party a couple weeks ago."

"Shut up Stoppable. You just wait until I tell Camille everything you've said. Then you'll be the one who gets dumped."

"You go ahead and do that. See if she believes you. See if anyone believes that I'm having an affair with Bonnie."

Brick growled at him and made a fist. He had heard enough. He didn't know why Ron was saying what he was, but he was going to stop it right here. He took a hard swing at the smaller boy.

Ron moved out of the way at the last possible second and Brick's meaty fist slammed into the metal of his car. He yelped in pain and began shaking his hand. He looked around and saw that Ron was still standing there smiling. It made him even madder seeing that smug look on his face. He took another swing at him.

Rather than avoiding the blow this time, Ron caught it in one of his own large palms. Brick looked in disbelief at his arm being held firm by the younger student. In a flash Ron clenched his own right fist and delivered a fierce uppercut to Brick's chin. His head snapped backwards and he fell against his car. He looked up to see Ron standing over him.

"Someone's cranky. You need a nap."

He kicked Brick's head against the bottom of his car. The impact knocked the senior out cold. Ron continued staring down at him for a moment before kneeling beside him.

"Got your keys," he said happily as he fished them out of Brick's pocket.

He opened the door to the backseat and stuffed the unconscious Brick inside before shutting the door. Next he popped open the trunk and began rummaging around in it until he found something suitable.

"Tire iron. This will do nicely," he said as he looked at the heavy piece of metal.

He turned around and looked at Brick who was standing next to him. He handed him the tire iron.

"Now you go have some fun, Camille."

XXXXXXXXXX

No pink gum?

Camille slowly walked around Mr. Barkin's car examining it. Of course to anyone else in the world it would look like Brick Flagg was the one circling the car with a tire iron in his hands.

No blue gum?

She thought back to her time in detention. Sure it had been fun to screw with Bonnie once she had been forced to serve her time after school. But still, she couldn't stand the fact that Mr. Barkin was so strict. She remembered how he had talked to her in his office. She remembered how he had yelled at Ron for being late to class. She remembered him giving Ron extra homework. Now it was payback time.

She was humming a happy tune as she gripped the tire iron in two hands and smashed in the right backseat window of Mr. Barkin's car. She did a twirl as she moved on to the front window and again swung the metal object with delight.

Moving around in front of the car she tapped the hood of his car with it. There was no use trying to destroy the windshield. Those things were made to withstand impact. Instead she moved to the left side.

She took a few practice strokes like a baseball player would with a bat before she lined up her shot with the left front window. She screamed with pleasure as she smashed the third window.

Before she attacked the fourth she held the tire iron as a golfer would hold a club. She planted her feet firmly to the ground as she looked down at the object in her hands.

"Camille has to land this shot if she wants any hope of staying alive in the tournament," she said mimicking the soft voice of a golf announcer on TV. "Look at the focus and concentration she displays as she prepares to take her shot. It's breathtaking to watch such a pro at work."

She swung her arms back in a huge arc before swinging and shattering the fourth window. She jumped and pumped her fist into the air with a shout of triumph.

"And she did it! Against all the odds she made the shot! This is incredible!"

She was thankful his car didn't have any kind of alarm. Looking at the four broken windows she felt satisfied… she felt pumped up and extremely energized. She would have to make sure to expend some of that energy on Ron when they got home.

Looking around she sprinted away from the school's parking lot and back to where Brick's car was parked. All in all it had been a good day. Kim's spirits had been crushed. Brick's head had been crushed. Barkin's car had been crushed. She couldn't remember the last time she had had this much fun.

XXXXXXXXXX

Monkey Fist entered the room Drakken and Shego were sitting in. He was not pleased. Since the debacle in Australia they had kept very little contact with each other. He wanted the Tempus Simia. And without them he couldn't attain it. Whether he liked it or not he needed them for the time being. And to see them sitting around so lazily enraged him. They should be out trying to acquire the head, not whatever it was that they were doing right now.

Drakken had his legs resting on top of the table with a bag of potato chips in his lap. Shego too had her legs on the table but was instead reading a magazine. Their slothfulness sickened him.

"What are you two doing?" he said angrily.

"Shhh!" Drakken said loudly. "Felicia is in labor with Brock's baby!"

Monkey Fist looked to the TV and saw that he was watching some awful daytime soap opera. Maybe Drakken wasn't taking this villainous plot seriously. But surely a professional like Shego would.

"Shego?"

"Yeah, I'm learning about the fifty ways to lose weight and still eat anything I want," she said pointing to her magazine.

He shook his head in disbelief. What kind of villains were they?

"Look, if we want to achieve world domination we must get the head to the Tempus Simia idol!"

"Oh right, that," she said. "Yeah, I kinda forgot about that once Kimmie got away with it."

"Do you mind?" Drakken snapped. "I'm trying to figure out if that's not really Felicia, and if she swapped brains with her twin sister!"

Monkey Fist walked over to where Shego was sitting and sat in the chair next to her. He looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

"I know that he isn't the most impressive evil specimen out there. You must be going soft being around him so much."

She lowered the magazine from her eyes and gave him a dirty look.

"I'm going soft?" she growled.

"Yes, the Shego I've heard about would have gone back and gotten the head from Kim Possible."

"Hey it's not that I'm soft. It's just that I don't care about some stupid fantasy world full of mystical monkey power and all that garbage."

"It is not garbage! It exists!"

"Yeah? So why can't you get it yourself if you're all monkeified or whatever?"

"Because Kim Possible has handed me several defeats on my own, just as she has with you and your employer. I want your help in order to defeat her once and for all."

Shego sighed. Maybe this was a good idea. She didn't care about his monkey power rants, but getting some payback on Kim did sound nice. She set the magazine down on the table and stood up.

"Let's go Drakken. We're going out," she called to him.

"But Felicia-"

"Now!" she roared as she ignited her hands.

Drakken kicked his legs in a fit like a child being scolded by his mother. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

"Fine! I hope you're happy that I'll miss the end of today's episode!"

Shego and Monkey Fist didn't care either way. Now was as good of a time as any to resume their pursuit of the Tempus Simia idol. They made their way to the hanger and soon took off in Drakken's small hover aircraft. Their next stop would be Middleton.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Authors Note: Angsty? Yes. Fun to write? For sure. Only the beginning? Absolutely. Hopefully you guys aren't too depressed after this chapter. Thanks for reading.


	15. Limit Break

Authors Note: Another big thank you to everyone who cares about this story. And thanks to my friend Brandon for proof reading, a job that I very much hate doing. As a side note, I've been told that experiencing character development kinda tingles.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you."_

_~Yoda_

XXXXXXXXXX

It had finally arrived. The important day that she and so many others have been anticipating for months now. Friday night. Sectionals. Tonight would be the night that would determine whether the Middleton cheerleaders would advance the regionals. Every girl on the squad had put forth dozens of hours of effort in preparation for this night.

It was a pity that it was the least important thing on Kim's mind.

Since she had found out about what had happened to Ron she had been in a funk. No, more than a funk. A depression. She had never felt depressed in her life. She had a positive, inspired outlook on life. To her nothing was impossible in the world. She had been taught by her parents that she could do anything. She had done everything she had ever put her mind to. Failure held no place in her vocabulary. She beat the unbeatable. She passed the impassable. She conquered the unconquerable.

Then why was she suddenly feeling so weak?

Kim sat in the locker room with the other girls preparing to go out and perform their routine. The competition was being held in their own school so they at least enjoyed a home field advantage. Both the Upperton and Lowerton squads had already gone out and put on their shows. Middleton was the third and final act. The winner would advance to regionals. There could only be one.

Looking around her she saw the faces of her squad mates. They had once been close friends. Sure, some of them still considered Kim to be a friend. But others were a bit more distant now. Camille, like she had with so many other things in her life, had poisoned the minds of the cheerleaders. She had been able to turn them against Kim through sheer cunning and manipulation. On some occasions the girls had actually seen Kim be mean to her, like in the bathroom several days earlier. Other times it had been due to gossip and intrigue behind her back where she had no opportunity to defend herself. Most of the girls were still civil toward her. But at the same time they often displayed a cold indifference. They were loyal to the rank of captain that she held, not the person who held it.

Sitting across the room from her was the source of her problems. Camille looked into a small mirror as she brushed her hair. She was completely ignoring the redhead who was staring hatefully at her. Kim didn't know whether she genuinely didn't see her or was purposely not looking back at her. It enraged Kim to know that the girl could be so casual around someone who not only despised everything about her, but could also back up that hatred with a brutal beating.

And why not? Why shouldn't she get violent with Camille? She was taking everything away from her. She no longer felt safe at school knowing that anyone she talked to, anyone in the halls, could be a fake. All but her closest friends were being turned against her slowly but surely. But the one unforgivable deed was what she had done to Ron. It had been bad enough when she was just manipulating and fooling him into thinking that she liked him. Then Kim had discovered that she was really working with Dr. Drakken toward some unknowable, but obviously ill-intentioned goal. And then there had been yesterday. It was like a nightmare that kept invading her mind every time she closed her eyes.

She saw the spiteful look on Ron's face as he talked to her. She saw the hate and coldness in his eyes. It wasn't him. No one that kind and loving was supposed to look like that. And yet he did. Something horrible had happened to him before that day. Kim had made an educated guess as to what. The only explanation was an attitudinator. She recalled her prior experience with the device. He had been able to create doomsday machines and threaten the whole world in the span of a day. He had been on the verge of insanity by the time she had finally stopped him. Who knows what he was capable of now. He had had a day and a half to let it sink in and be with Camille. The two of them working together sent chills through her body.

However, Camille had told her that she didn't do anything. Not that she should believe a word that came out of that psychopath's mouth. But why should she deny it? She had taken great pleasure in rubbing her successes in Kim's face. She wanted Kim to know everything she was doing to destroy her world. To deny her greatest achievement of turning Ron into a cold, psychotic villain was completely nonsensical. Perhaps she didn't know what had happened to Ron. That could only mean that someone else was responsible for it. But who? Kim was determined to find out.

Kim closed her eyes as she thought about this. Images of their kiss flashed in her mind. It was sickening. What they had wasn't love. It was some kind of twisted, primal lust. She figured it was exactly the kind of thing Camille would have. Someone like her couldn't love another person. Kim didn't know what kind of issues she had, but she had plenty of them. No regular person could be as screwed up as Camille. She had been correct calling the girl a sociopath the other week.

This had only been reinforced when she, along with the entire school, had found out that Brick had been suspended. Apparently yesterday he had been seen smashing Mr. Barkin's car windows after school. Of course the young man had repeatedly denied doing such a thing. But like before with Bonnie, school security cameras showed that he was the one doing it. He had no case as far as they were concerned. But Kim knew better. She knew who was really behind the incident. Her only question was why? What did Camille possibly have to gain by suspending Brick?

She looked up when she heard applause from outside the locker room doors. An announcement had just been made that Middleton's squad would be coming out shortly. It was game time. She had to focus, she had to keep her head in this competition. Anything less could be disastrous for not only her, but the other girls as well. It wasn't only the threat of failure, but the threat of injury should someone fail to do their job properly. Kim was determined to make sure that it wouldn't be her.

She stood and gathered the other girls around her before she spoke to them.

"Okay girls. This is the moment we've all been practicing for. We can do this. We will do this. Have faith in yourselves and each other. If you do this, nothing can stop us."

The other cheerleaders answered with enthusiastic agreement.

"Now let's go out there and win sectionals!"

They roared in approval as they began making their way out of the room. Camille had hung around behind and was the last girl in line. She spoke to Kim as she passed her by.

"Break a leg, Kim," she smiled.

"This isn't theater, Camille."

"I know."

The blonde turned and continued through the door and out into the gymnasium. Kim took a deep breath and went after her. She wouldn't let Camille get inside her head. She would keep her thoughts off of her until later tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't here. But if not here, where?

The villainous trio of Dr. Drakken, Shego and Monkey Fist had spent much of the past hour looking through Kim's entire house for what they sought. It was the perfect moment too. She, along with her entire family, were at Middleton High School for her cheerleading competition. No better time to search her home for the head of the Tempus Simia idol. But no matter where they looked they could not find it.

They had ripped her room apart trying to find it. Every drawer had been opened, every article of clothing thrown on the floor. Every inch of her closet had been searched, under her bed, every spot that could possibly have hidden something of that size had been looked into. And still nothing.

So they had decided to search the entire house. They repeated the process over and over as they looked for the hidden treasure. Their frustration had reached a boiling point. Shego was the first to crack.

"Look, I'm sick of this!" she roared. "As much as I enjoy going through Possible's stuff, this is really starting to get on my nerves."

"I agree with Shego," Drakken said. "We don't even know if she has it in her house."

"Patience you fools!" Monkey Fist snapped. "It must be around here somewhere. She would have no reason to hide it. We haven't ever come after it before. As far as she knows we've given up on trying to recover it."

"Then where is it!" Shego yelled.

"I don't know! But rather than stand here and scream at me, how about you continue searching!"

"Look monkey boy, you and your sick obsession are really starting to annoy me. This isn't my plan. I don't need to be here."

"If it weren't for this plan you would be spending your Friday evening at some karaoke bar with him," he said pointing to Drakken.

"Yeah? At least when I'm there I can drink myself happy. The only thing that could possibly make you bearable to be around would be if I were completely wasted right now."

"Then how about we skip the middle man and I just knock you unconscious right here and now!"

"You think you can take me? Bring it on you monkey freak."

Dr. Drakken stepped between the two feuding villains as they were about to fight each other. He spread his arms and pushed them back with his palms trying desperately to maintain some semblance of order.

"Please, we can't start fighting each other. We have to work together if we want to defeat Kim Possible."

While it did nothing to relieve the anger and tension in the air, Drakken's words did stop them from trying to push past him and get their hands on each other. Monkey Fist snorted as he turned away from them resumed his search.

"It's a good thing he was here to protect you, Shego. Consider yourself lucky."

The provocation worked and Shego redoubled her efforts to get her hands on him. Drakken frantically did his best to hold her back and calm her down.

"Shego! Shego!" he pleaded. "Another time. Wait for another day to hurt him. I know you can hurt him. We both do. But right now we need him for this plan."

"You don't even know what the plan is!"

"Yes, he hasn't told us the full details because he knows that we need him just as much as he needs us. It's an equal partnership. Once we acquire the two parts of the Tempus Simia he will lead us to where we need to go to use them."

"And you think we can trust him?"

Drakken looked over his shoulder and saw Monkey Fist rummaging around in the kitchen cabinets. He took Shego aside into another room to talk to her.

"No, I don't trust him at all. But what I said is true. We need him… at least for the time being. But once he gives us what we want then we can dispose of him."

Those words helped to calm her down a little. It also surprised her to learn of her employers cunning.

"I didn't think you had it in you," she smirked.

"Believe me, I think that he's as insane as you do. But I do believe there's something to this monkey power stuff he keeps talking about. And if there's a chance that this monkey statue thing does what he says it can do it's worth the risk of finding out."

She had to give that to him. The power Monkey Fist described was total and absolute. Someone who had control over time could rule the world. And if there was even the slightest chance of it being true then they should pursue it.

"Alright. But that doesn't mean I won't knock him on his ass if he gets on my nerves."

"Of course not. I would never try to deny you of taking out your aggression on someone other than me."

She laughed because it was true. Since working with Monkey Fist she had been less mean towards him and a lot more towards the simian freak.

"I'm glad we have an understanding."

The two villains resumed searching the house for the idol. As they did Monkey Fist sighed in frustration. He looked up and saw them reenter the kitchen. Shego was an annoyance to work with, but soon it wouldn't matter. Once he had gotten his paws on the two pieces of the idol he wouldn't need them anymore. He would dispose of them accordingly and seize the power for himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

They had won. Not that she had expected anything less.

But one thing Kim was uncertain about was what impact their newest squad member would have on the performance. There wasn't only the concern about her not being familiar enough with the routine. There was what she had said to her the other day. It made Kim think twice when doing some of her more dangerous moves.

Despite how much she had attempted to keep Camille out of her head, part of what had said stuck around in the back of her mind. She had mentioned purposely messing up to make Kim fall. She wasn't concerned about ruining the performance by falling. She was worried about suffering some sort of major bodily harm because of the villain. On more than one occasion the two had shared a brief glance during the routine. Camille had given her a little smirk or wink here or there. But she never did end up doing anything to cause any kind of problems. For that Kim was thankful.

The squad had erupted with cheers and hugs when they had been announced as winners. They had done it, they were going to regionals. It was only a few weeks away and they would have to train even harder than ever. There was no time to slack off with the victory. They would soon be going up against the best of the best.

When it was over Kim was greeted by her family congratulating her. Her little brothers had been a bit less enthused than her parents, but it was to be expected. The important thing is that they were there to watch. A number of her classmates were there to celebrate with her as well. Monique, Felix and Josh all embraced her warmly when she was done with her parents.

"You were amazing out there," Monique gushed.

"Seriously awesome moves," Felix agreed.

"You guys totally deserve it. Best performance I've ever seen the squad do," Josh smiled.

"Thanks guys."

Kim looked off to the side and saw Ron and Camille talking to each other in private. They had not approached or been approached by anyone from the crowd. They had to be up to something. She just didn't know what.

"Kim?"

She was brought out of her thoughts and looked back at her friends. She shook her head with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. My mind just kind of drifted."

"No problem," Monique said. "Is it because of…?" she said pointing to the two blondes.

Kim nodded.

"What's up with you three anyway?" Josh asked.

Josh, unlike Monique and Felix, was not in the loop. While he was a good friend of Kim's, her ex-boyfriend in fact, he knew nothing about the true nature of Camille. He knew nothing about the monster Ron had become. As far as he was concerned nothing was terribly awry. It was all just a bunch of high school drama rather than a battle between good and evil.

"It's… complicated," Kim sighed.

"I'd love to hear about it sometime."

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed that we haven't hung out that much since we ended things."

"We grew apart. It happens sometimes, especially between ex's."

"Yeah but it sucks. I really like you as a friend. After we both figured out that we wouldn't work well as a couple I was hoping that we could get back to how things were before."

Kim frowned. He was right. She had enjoyed his friendship while she was crushing on him. He was a nice, honest person who anyone could like. And to see them drift apart after they stopped dating did seem unfair to them both. She decided to take him up on his offer.

"You know what? We should hang out. What about tomorrow night?"

"I'd like that," he agreed. "How about the four of us?" he said to Monique and Felix.

"No can do. I work tomorrow night," Monique said.

"Ah. That's too bad. But you're in, right Felix?"

"I appreciate the offer. But without Monique there I would feel like I'm intruding on you two reconnecting and stuff."

"Not at all, man. We would love for you to come along."

"Plus my Everlot guild has a big event happening tomorrow night. I would have to duck out early from our time together in order to get home for it. And I don't want to take the chance of being late."

Kim smiled when she remembered her short experience with the online role playing game. Most of the people who played that stuff took it seriously. Majorly seriously. She knew that Felix wasn't one of them, but she could assume that a lot of his friends there were like that.

"I totally understand," she said before turning to Josh. "I guess it will just be the two of us."

"Yeah. Hopefully things won't be too awkward," he laughed.

She laughed nervously when she heard this. She hadn't thought about that. The two of them would be alone together for the first time since they were dating. Suddenly she found herself agreeing with him. She hoped it wouldn't be too awkward.

"You two will be fine," Monique said confidently.

"I know. I'm just messing with her," Josh smiled.

As the four continued chatting Kim noticed Ron and Camille go back to their respective locker rooms to change. Apparently their night here was over. But Kim's night had only just begun. She didn't know who had done this to Ron or why, but she was determined to find out. Tonight she was going on a fact finding mission. And she wouldn't stop until she had the answers she sought.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille yawned as she looked at the clock in her living room. It was a little past two in the morning. She and Ron had stayed out late that night having some fun in downtown Middleton. She had only gotten home around a half hour ago. When she arrived back home she had decided to read a little bit before she went to sleep. It usually helped make her tired. The yawn was proof of it. But she wanted to stay up longer. That was the problem when you had a good book late at night. You soon became too tired to keep reading despite how much you wanted to continue.

She thought she heard a thump coming from her kitchen. For a moment she paused mid-sentence in her book as she looked up. She quickly dismissed it as being Debutante getting into some kind of trouble. But before she could get back to reading she realized that her cat was sitting on the couch next to her. She glanced up again and looked toward the kitchen. There was another thump. She wanted to believe that it was just her imagination, or some sort of natural noise that furniture and houses always made. She had once learned that the warmth from sunlight expanded wood and it creaked at night when it cooled down and shrunk. She didn't know if this was true. But right now she wanted to believe it more than anything in the world.

She gently set her book down on the couch and slowly stood up. Debutante remained curled up on the couch and didn't notice, or didn't care, that her master had gotten up. She walked as quietly and lightly as she could through the room to the doorway that connected her living room to her kitchen. She wasn't about to act like one of those idiots from a horror movie and ask aloud if someone was there. What could that possibly accomplish? All it did is allow the intruder to know that you knew something was wrong. If one wanted to catch a person off guard it was better to let them think you're ignorant. After all, a person is most vulnerable when they think they're secure. It was a philosophy that she demonstrated every day of her life.

She stood there for tense seconds not taking a breath. Breathing would make a noise. Breathing would make it harder to hear the tiniest sound in the other room. She stood there unmoving, only listening. There was nothing. There were no more noises coming from the other room. But it wasn't good enough. Looking back she saw an empty glass resting on the table. She tip-toed quietly over to get it. If someone was in the house she at least had a weapon now. She would smash the glass on their head.

Moving back to her earlier position she continued to listen in complete silence. The tension was getting to be too much. She had to know one way or another if there was someone in her kitchen. But so far no one had come out. So she would go in to get them. With the glass in one hand and her cell phone in the other ready to call the police, she went through the doorway.

Slow, quiet steps were the way to go. With each step she looked around, scanning the darkness for a human shape. So far there had been nothing. Eventually she reached the light switch on the wall. She turned so her back was facing the wall before turning on the lights. As the room was lit her eyes darted around trying to find the source of the noises she heard. But there was still no one there. A wave of relief passed over her. It had just been the house. She smiled as she finally resumed taking normal breaths. As long as she was in here she might as well get a little snack. She opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. As she went to grab a small cup of yogurt she felt two hands roughly pull her back and slam her against the wall. Terror seized her heart with the sudden touch.

Seeing who had grabbed her did nothing to ease her fear. Two hate-filled green eyes stared into her own. It was even more terrifying than when Ron had done something similar the other day.

"Hey Camille," Kim said coldly. "You and me are going to have a little girl talk."

"What are you doing here? You broke into my house? I'm calling the police!"

"Oh no. You're not calling anyone. We have things to discuss."

"You freak! Get your hands off of me."

"You're in no position to be making demands."

Camille did her best to try to get Kim off of her. She got her hands free and struggled with the other girl and succeeded in digging her nails into her neck as she scratched the redhead. Kim let out a gasp of pain before sending a hard fist into Camille's stomach. This stopped her resistance as she doubled over in pain. Camille was not a fighter and she couldn't take punches well. Kim regained her hold on her and brought the blonde to one of her kitchen chairs. She took a length of rope out of her pocket and began tying her to the chair.

"You can't do this!" Camille screamed. "This is a felony!"

Kim showed no emotion at her words. Instead she just replied calmly.

"You have no right to tell me about felonies. How many have you committed over these last few weeks? How many have you committed in your lifetime?"

When she was finished tying her Kim walked in front of the blonde and stood there looking down at her. Seconds passed as neither girl said a word. But finally Kim pulled a chair in front of her and took a seat.

"You're going to tell me exactly what happened to Ron."

"Screw you, Kim. I'm not telling you anything."

"I think you'll find that I can be very persuasive."

Camille laughed at the intended threat.

"Who do you think you are? You can't do anything to me and you know it. You aren't capable of an interrogation. All you'll do is ask me questions. And let me tell you Kim, you won't get any of the answers you're looking for."

Kim stood and pushed the chair back a few feet.

"I told you before, you have no idea what I'm capable of when I'm pushed over the edge. And that's exactly what you've done to me. I want my best friend back, Camille."

"Is that supposed to scare me? Come on. You're a terrible actress. You wouldn't even make it in a high school play."

Kim moved closer to Camille and tapped her cheek with an index finger.

"You went through a lot of effort to cover up that bruise. How much time did you spend with your makeup to make it disappear? I'm going to bet it took a long, long time. You know how I know that? Because I've done the exact same thing more times than I can remember after a mission."

Camille knew she was right. It took a lot of work to cover the purple blemish on her left cheek. And it was all because of Kim.

"I can tell how much it bugs you. How would you like it if I turned your whole face that color?"

"Like I said, you don't have it in you. You were able to hit me when I looked like Ron because you were caught in the moment. You were emotional. But right now you have time to think about your actions. And you don't have what it takes to back up your threat."

Kim took a deep breath as she nodded. She began to turn away from her. But as she was in the process of doing so, she turned back and swung her right arm at the blonde's face. Her fist made solid contact with her chin. Camille's head was whipped back from the force of the attack.

"You psychotic freak!" she screamed furiously.

"Look who's talking. Now tell me what happened to Ron!" Kim roared.

"You're going to go to prison for this!"

"How do you figure?" she asked innocently as she held up her gloved hands. "No finger prints."

"I'll find a way. You've just made a huge mistake doing this to me."

"Funny, I recall saying the same thing to you. Only I'm the one who's free, and you're the one tied up to a chair. Tell me who used an attitudinator on Ron."

"What's an attitudinator?"

Kim struck her again with the back of her gloved hand. Camille's head was turned to the left from the stinging blow.

"You know I'm going to tell everyone what you're doing to me. I will ruin you, Kim Possible."

"No one worth caring about will believe you. Who would ever suspect the great teen hero Kim Possible of doing this?"

"Let me go!"

"Then tell me who turned Ron evil!"

"You did. You did when you betrayed him."

Another punch to the face. It hurt. It hurt so badly. But she was almost there. Just a little further. The pain was worth the end result.

"Who! Turned! Him! Evil!" she yelled in Camille's face.

"Society. Personally I blame the rap music."

Kim realized she was getting nowhere with this. There was another bruise on Camille's face already. But she wasn't giving anything up. She had to go further. She had to get Ron back.

Looking down at Camille's hand she saw that fresh blood had seeped out from underneath her bandage. It was no doubt because of the immense pressure and stress her hands had endured during the competition earlier in the evening. It gave her an idea.

She turned away and began looking through Camille's kitchen cabinets. One by one she opened and closed the doors until she found what she was looking for. She reached up and grabbed a small container.

When she got back to where Camille was sitting she grabbed her hand. She ripped the bandage off in one swift action which caused the blonde to wince in pain. Kim looked down at the healing, but still open, deep gash on one of her fingers. She grabbed the container of salt she had grabbed from the cabinet and poured some out into her gloved palm.

Camille saw what she was doing and began breathing hard. This was something she didn't expect.

"Kim? Kim!" she said fearfully. "What are you doing!"

"Tell me what I want to know."

"You can't do this!"

"I can do anything."

With her left hand, Kim grabbed Camille's own. With her right she shoved the salt into her open wound and twisted it, grinding the salt into exposed flesh with a gloved hand.

Camille screamed in agony as she did so. Her eyes were shut tight trying to hold back tears of pain. Her breathing was still heavy after Kim released her hand.

"Are you ready to tell me?" she asked.

"I hate you!"

Kim poured another handful of salt into her glove. But before she could repeat the process Camille stopped her.

"Okay!" she said hurriedly. "Okay, I'll tell you. Just stop. Please stop."

Kim let the salt fall out of her hands and onto the table. She stood there looking at her and waited for an answer.

"It was Shego," Camille said. "Ron told me that Shego was in his room last night. He said that she used the attitudinator on him."

"Why!"

"I don't know! I honestly don't know! But he was like this when he came to my house this morning."

Kim looked into her moist eyes and believed her. There weren't any lies this time. It made sense too. Shego had seen firsthand what Ron was capable of under the effects of the attitudinator. Of course she would be the one person who would want him back. But why? What goal did she have in mind? What was she planning on doing with him?

"There. That wasn't so hard, now was it? So now tell me what happened to my house?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone messed up my house tonight. They were looking for something. I bet it was the Tempus Simia idol head. But they couldn't find it because I hid it somewhere else. After you tried to get it, I knew that eventually Drakken and Monkey Fist would come too."

"I don't know anything about that. They never told me they were looking for it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Kim looked into her eyes once more. She stared at her icy blue eyes for long, tense seconds before she finally spoke.

"Okay. I believe you."

She went behind the chair and untied Camille. She turned to leave without saying a word. But Camille's laughter stopped her. She turned to see Camille gritting her teeth as she laughed through the pain she was feeling at the moment.

"What's so funny? I mean, I know you're crazy and everything. But have you finally crossed the line to where pain and pleasure are the same thing?"

"No Kim. I'm laughing because I've taken everything you have from you."

"What are you talking about?"

She smiled evilly as she spoke.

"I've taken your friends, your reputation, your peace of mind, your sidekick… and now, now I've taken your moral high ground. After what you just did to me you can never say you're better than the villains you fight. You're just like them. You only work towards a different end."

"Shut up! I'm nothing like them or you!"

"Oh but you are. You're no longer the pure-hearted hero. Tonight you crossed the line on your way to villainy. You stepped into that gray area between the two. You know, I wonder if this is how Shego got started out. Maybe one night she had to make a tough decision that clashed with her ethics. But she did it anyway for the greater good. How does that make you feel, Kim? How does it feel to know that you're on your way to becoming the next Shego? I stole your innocence tonight. And you can never get it back."

Kim was enraged. After her experience in Go City she knew that Shego had once been a hero. She along with her brothers had once worked to protect the world. But somewhere along the line she turned her back on that life. How dare Camille say that she was doing the same.

"I did what I had to do in order to defeat you and Drakken, and to get my friend back," she said in her defense.

"Exactly. You had to do it for the greater good. It will happen again. And soon you'll be just like her. Face it, Kim. Tonight I made you my bitch," she grinned.

Seeing her smugness, hearing her insults, they almost threw Kim into a frenzy. She had started back towards Camille with a raised fist, but stopped herself short of swinging. She couldn't justify her foes words. She couldn't give into her anger and hate. Those things were the path to the dark side, like what Shego had become. Instead she lowered her arm.

"I'm one of the good guys. And you're one of the bad guys. Never forget that."

She turned once more and began walking out of the room. This time she did not stop when Camille began laughing again. The mocking laughter followed her until she exited through the front door.

Camille waited until she heard the door close before she stopped. The laughter ceased, being replaced by short, shuddering breaths as she tried to regain her composure. But she could not. She broke down and began sobbing as she stood and moved to wash the salt out of her wounded finger. She was not crying out of pain anymore. She had been able to tolerate it once the initial shock had passed. She was crying because of everything else that had happened tonight.

It was more than just Kim beating her. It was how she had gotten into the position in the first place. Kim had invaded her home. She could have done anything to her tonight. And she was powerless to stop the teen hero. It made her feel vulnerable and scared. She felt more afraid now than she had felt in years. Her safety had been violated. She felt helpless.

She stood over her sink scrubbing her hands vigorously. Tears continued dripping down her cheeks into stainless steel sink. She needed to feel safe again. She needed to feel secure. She needed to feel loved. They were the hungers that ate at her every day of her life. She needed to feel something good.

When she was finished drying her hands she went back into her living room and locked her front door. She made sure it was locked over and over again. She knew that it was, but she had to check again anyway. She went and checked every other door and window in her home. Ones that were unlocked had to be locked. Those which were already locked had to be relocked. Once she felt comfortable she sat back down on her couch and picked up her phone. She dialed a familiar number.

"Ron," she said with a shaky voice. "Ron, please come over. I need you right now."

XXXXXXXXXX

Eyelids slid open to reveal a pair of tired, bloodshot blue eyes. She blinked a few times trying to remember where she was and what had happened. But then the memories came flooding back to her.

She turned her head around to see Ron lying next to her. He was still sleeping. He was still there. That was good. Very good. She laid there for a few seconds before pushing the covers off of her and stepping out of bed.

Camille slipped on a robe when she stood up and looked back down at him. He looked so calm and peaceful when he slept. It was nothing like the aggressive, mean-spirited person he had become. In some ways is was relieving to see that there was still some of the kind-hearted young man she had met all those weeks ago, even if that part of him only manifested itself while he slept.

She had called him this night because she needed him with her. She was terrified after what Kim had done to her, even if she had refused to show such weakness to her. She was good at acting after all. And she would never let Kim know how much she had affected her.

She needed to feel safe after the experience. She needed to feel warm and loved. He could provide those things for her, even if only for a night. He had been… okay. She had experienced both better and worse. But she would never tell him that. She couldn't fault him for it being his first time. He would get better with practice. She would make sure of that.

Moving as quietly as possible, Camille exited her bedroom and walked down the hall to her bathroom. She flipped on the light and began filling up a small, disposable cup with water. She repeated the process several times as she quenched her thirst. When she was finished she looked into the broken mirror that she had created a couple of nights earlier. She spoke to it as if it were another person.

"You see? Someone loves me. You don't know anything," she told the cracked glass.

Bonnie's face appeared in the shattered mirror. Despite the reflection not being perfect Camille could still see the brunette clearly. She saw an expression that mocked and pitied her.

"It's not real," she argued.

"Not real? Did you see what just happened in there? He gave me his virginity. It can't get more real than that."

"Gave you his virginity? That's not even the real Ron. It wasn't his to give. Poor little Camille, trying so desperately to feel a real connection with someone. Even going as far as to use sex to try to feel what it's like to be loved."

"Shut up. I am loved."

"It's not real. He's not real. You know that as well as I do. You're caught in another fake relationship. Only this time you actually wound up getting yourself screwed too," she laughed.

"Stop laughing. You'll wake him up."

"Me? I'm just a fragment of your twisted little mind. This is all you talking."

"If that's true then stop talking."

"I'm just telling you what you can't admit to yourself. Like how you said you got your surgery to get revenge on the Seniors? We both know that's not true. You got it so you could have control over your life and everyone in it."

"Just go away," Camille said as she worked hard to morph back into her natural form.

She closed her eyes as she tried to change back. When she opened them she was pleased to see that she was herself again. She threw the cup away and turned off the light before making her way back to her bedroom. After slipping back into bed she looked at Ron while he slept. He was real. Her other self didn't know what she was talking about.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim had been surprised that he had taken her appointment on such short notice. It had been only a day in advance.

It was early Saturday afternoon when she stepped into Jack Hench's office. It was surprisingly mundane. Considering he was a man who worked in the super villain market she had expected something much more grandiose and, well, evil. But it appeared to be just like any other business office.

The dark-haired man looked up when his secretary brought her in. He smiled as warmly as a villain could.

"Ms. Possible, what a delight to see you once again," he said genuinely.

"I wish I could say the same to you."

"Now now, let's not get this meeting started off on the wrong foot. You told me that you had something very important to discuss with me."

"Yes, I do. I need an attitudinator."

He frowned at her request. She didn't know whether it was because of the bluntness of her demand or something else.

"You and everybody else. We took them off of the market months ago, not long after your friend was turned evil by one."

"Yeah well whoever said lightning didn't strike the same place twice was a liar."

That perked his interest. He raised an eyebrow when he realized what she meant.

"Do you mean to tell me your sidekick is once again a super villain?"

She nodded somberly.

"I am truly sorry to hear that. But look on the bright side. I heard that he made quite an impression on your friend Shego."

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes. I need an attitudinator. Now."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why not?"

"We not only stopped production of the device, we took them off the market completely. Including recalling every single one of them."

"You mean to tell me you have none left? Anywhere?"

Hench stood from his desk and walked over to his window. His office was located in one of the top stories of the large office building. He looked down at the city below him.

"Tell me Kimberly, do you know why we issued the recall?"

She shook her head.

"We released the attitudinator before we completed testing the long-term side effects. When we had discovered the consequences of being exposed to the device for too long we decided that it was too dangerous to release to the public."

"What kind of side effects…" she asked hesitantly.

He turned back to look at her.

"Do you know what the attitudinator does to a person?"

"I just remember something about swapping Dr. Drakken's evil into Ron, or Ron's goodness into Drakken, or something like that."

"With two people that's possible. But not with just one. I assume your friend was alone in whatever happened to him?"

"Yeah. He was."

"I feared that was the case. What the attitudinator did to your friend this time is essentially rip half of his personality from his mind. In this instance, his good side. Can you imagine what that must be like for a person to experience? To have half of their mind suddenly removed from them? I know that I can't."

Kim closed her eyes when she heard Hench's explanation. It hadn't just turned Ron evil. It had severely altered his entire thought process, his entire brain. She didn't want to know what kind of mental trauma he was enduring at the moment.

"Your friend is currently experiencing mental deterioration. It will start off slow and unnoticeable. But it will soon grow worse, and will advance much more quickly. He will begin to experience things like memory loss, heightened aggression, paranoia, and so forth. That's just the beginning. Shortly after he will develop full-blown psychosis and schizophrenia. His mind will cope with this for as long as it is able to until…"

"Until what…?" she asked fearfully.

"Until he is overwhelmed by the stress and dies."

She felt chills run through her as she shut her eyes tightly. It was the response she had feared, the one she had not wanted to hear. She was trembling.

"How long until this happens?"

"He only has a few days until the effects become permanent and incurable."

"How long is a few days?"

"I give him four or five, maybe a week tops. When did this happen to him?"

"Thursday night."

He shook his head sadly.

"I am very sorry to hear about your loss."

Kim couldn't believe him. He acted like Ron's death was a foregone conclusion. She wouldn't tolerate it. She stormed over to him and grabbed his shirt tightly.

"Now you listen to me, Hench," she said angrily. "You're going to give me an attitudinator. I know you have to have one somewhere if Shego was able to get her hands on one and use it on him Thursday night."

"I keep telling you, I don't have one. We destroyed the devices when the recall was issued."

"Is it curable? If I'm able to get him back to normal, will his mind make a full recovery?"

"Yes. If you can get to him before the effects become permanent, he will return to his normal, natural self from before the device was used on him. As you said, he will make a full recovery."

"There has to be another one out there! Someone didn't give theirs back!"

"If you let go of me perhaps I can look in the database on my computer," he said harshly.

She let go of his shirt. After straightening it out he moved back to his desk and began typing away at his computer. After a couple of minutes he had found something.

"According to this there are two attitudinators unaccounted for. One was sold several months ago before the recall. The buyer was anonymous and we could not contact them."

"And the other?"

"The other was the demonstration model we used at last year's Super Villain Trade Show and Convention. The very one that turned your friend evil the first time."

Kim mentally slapped herself for being so stupid. It was the one that Ron still had somewhere in his closet. It was the one he had used on his cousin Shawn. If he still had it, if it still worked, it would be her only shot at saving him. Not just saving him from being evil, but saving his very life.

"Thank you Mr. Hench. You've been very helpful."

"It was my pleasure. I wish you the best of luck at saving him. After all, if you aren't around to foil villain's plans all the time, they won't need to come back to me to buy new weapons and doomsday devices. It's the circle of life."

She gave him a disgusted look as she turned and left the room. She had her mission now. Find the attitudinator in Ron's room. And then she had to somehow get close enough to him to use it. But how would it work if his goodness was trapped somewhere else? She would be the first to admit that she didn't know anything about the science behind the twisted device. But it was a start. The first thing she had to do was find the one that she at least knew the location of. Then she could worry about the one Shego had used. It wouldn't be easy. But these days she didn't care what obstacles were in front of her. She would save him. She just had to.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

Authors Note: Kim just found her inner Jack Bauer. I hope this chapter was enjoyable.


	16. The Truth Behind Truths

Authors Note: So I've spent the past couple of weeks reading the first three books in the "Sword of Truth" series. In that time I've gotten pretty much zero writing done. That explains the slow update. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Payback's a bitch… and so am I."_

_~Anonymous_

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun was setting when Kim arrived at Ron's house. She had a couple of hours until she would be hanging out with Josh. She needed it. The stress she had endured for the past few weeks, especially the last few days, was pushing her over the limit. That had never been clearer to her when she had done what she did to Camille. She never would have dreamed she was capable of that sort of action. But circumstances had dictated that she had to adapt. Camille wasn't playing by the rules.

She almost laughed when she thought that. Rules. There were no rules in this line of work. In the game of world conquest there was no place for them. Sure, there were the unwritten rules that she and her regular super villain foes followed. People like Drakken and the Seniors never made things personal. They never went after her family. They never interfered with her at school. The closest they had ever come was on her date with Josh when they had tried to make her disappear. And even that wasn't crossing the line. They weren't trying to harm Josh, only her. Therefore it was okay. The wrongness of that thought stuck with her as she looked up at Ron's bedroom window.

This was where it had happened. This was where Ron had been turned evil for a second time. Shego had come and used the attitudinator on him. To what end she still didn't know. But that wasn't the priority at the moment. Getting him back to normal was. And this was as good of a place to start as any.

She fired her grappling gun over his roof like she had done a few days earlier. After pulling herself up she stepped through his open window and landed hard on the floor. She heard a crunching sound under her boot. She looked down at the source of the noise. Her eyes widened with horror.

Despite its condition she recognized what she saw. It was an attitudinator. It was broken and burnt, beyond any hope of repair. She lifted her foot and saw that she had crushed one of the glass bulbs that went atop the device. She immediately looked around her to make sure that she wouldn't step on another piece when she backed away. Her heart was racing as she continued to look down at the floor. A bright blue light caught her eye.

Her breathing slowed as she saw another bulb. It was filled with bright blue energy, the kind she had seen several months ago during the first attitudinator fiasco. She instantly knew what it was. It was the goodness that had been sucked from Ron's mind. It was the half of his personality that was ripped from him by the device. Right now it was the most precious thing in the world to her.

She slowly took a couple steps forward and bent down to examine the glass. It was in terrible shape. There were small hairline fractures all over it. Applying even the tiniest amount of pressure to the glass might shatter it. She couldn't let that happen. If it did then she would lose Ron forever. Not to villainy. He would die.

Fearful chills ran through her as she took off her gloves and set them on his bed. She could feel herself shaking as she went to pick the bulb up. But she stopped herself when she was mere inches from reaching it. She couldn't handle it in this condition. She had to calm down. She had to stop shaking. One wrong move and it was all over. She began to take deep breaths to try to get her emotions under control. About a minute later she tried again.

She at least had to get it off the floor. There was no telling what would happen if it remained there. Someone could easily step on it like she had with the other bulb. She was thankful that it had been the empty one and not this one. Slowly, her hands reached out once again to gently grasp the glass. When she did she lifted it and cautiously moved it to his bed. At least that was soft. After she set it down she realized that it was okay. She was free to move across the floor once more.

Kim stood up and took a deep breath. One mystery was solved at least. She hadn't needed to go find Shego. His goodness was still here and intact. Even if that was barely true, even if it was still fragile, it was still here. There was hope. Now all she had to do was find the other attitudinator.

She moved to his closet door and opened it up. To say it was a mess would be an understatement. There were things in there that she had never even seen before, things she didn't even know he owned. She began taking them out in a desperate search to find the attitudinator. She knew that it was in bad shape. Not nearly as bad of shape as the glass bulb she had found, but it was taped together. It had to be handled with care.

After several minutes of searching she had found it. With just as much care she had shown the other object, she gingerly lifted the fragile device out of his closet and set it on his bed. The two pieces to restore Ron to his good self were there. It made her uncomfortable to know that this had been the easy part. She not only had to get them out of here. She not only had to find a way to stabilize them so they could be used. But she also had to get close enough to him to use them. She fished her kimmunicator from her pocket to contact Wade.

"What's up Kim?" he said when his face appeared on the screen.

"I found it Wade. I found what we need to turn Ron good again."

A huge smile crossed his face when he heard the news. His excitement couldn't be contained when he spoke.

"That's great Kim! So what's the plan?"

"They're in really bad shape," she said sadly. "I'm afraid to touch them, much less move them to a secure location. I need your help moving them."

"Okay. What can I do?"

"Can you make some kind of padded box? I don't know, but something that an attitudinator and one of its glass bulbs would fit in so they couldn't move around and risk getting broken?"

"I think I can do something like that. I'll make something so safe and secure that it would put a museum to shame."

She smiled at his confidence. She could always count on him for whatever she needed.

"Thanks Wade. I'll wait here until you're done."

"Okay. I don't know how long it will take. But not too long. I'll call before I send it over."

"Alright. I'll be waiting."

She turned the device off and walked over to his window. She couldn't sit on his bed for fear of one of the objects breaking. As she looked out the window she thought about her newly found hope. Only a few hours ago she had learned from Jack Hench about the problems with the attitudinator. She had learned that Ron's life was in more danger than she, or he, had ever suspected. But now she had the chance to set everything right. She had to think of a plan to cure him once Wade was ready. She closed her eyes and sighed.

XXXXXXXXXX

There was an old saying which stated that sex changed everything. She sincerely hoped that was not the case.

Camille did not love Ron. She especially did not love what he had become. And she knew that he did not love her either. At least that's what she assumed. She knew that he had feelings left over from when they had dated. Those feelings that she had manipulated from him were what had brought him back to her once he had turned evil. But love? No. It wasn't love. It wasn't anything genuine or heart-felt.

What they did have however was an understanding. They were there to satisfy their most carnal and primal needs for each other. It was the perfect relationship. They were partners in crime with benefits. There were no messy emotions or feelings to screw anything up. She had felt vulnerable and afraid the prior night because of what Kim had done to her. He had been there to "comfort" her in her time of need. And in return she had been able to scratch the itch that every teenage guy felt. More than that though, he had been able to help her with her own itch. She won in the end by getting two things she wanted while he only got one. Like she had told him days earlier when he was still good, a relationship was all about manipulation. Whoever could get the other to do what they wanted won.

They were still at her house the following day after she had slept with him. It unnerved her that he had not spoken much since waking up. Normally Ron was a chatterbox, even when he was turned evil. But he had not said much today. He had no desire to watch any TV either. It was another unusual change he was displaying. He was just sitting on the large chair in her living room seemingly deep in thought. She had no idea what he was thinking of. But she was determined to find out.

"Ron?" she said.

He looked up at her emotionlessly. He was working on some project at the moment. It looked like some kind of gun.

"What."

"What are you working on?"

"A plan."

About time. She had read enough about his previous encounter with an attitudinator to know what he was capable of. She wondered what he had in mind.

"Feel like telling me?"

"I have a question first."

"Okay. What?"

"You said that Drakken wanted you to get a monkey head from Kim?"

Camille thought back angrily on her assignment. It was a blemish on both her reputation as well as her face. She was supposed to be able to fool and manipulate anyone. But Kim knew him too well to be fooled. The mention of the word monkey had set alarms off in the teen hero's head. It was because of this that she had failed. It was because of this that she bore the hideous mark on her face.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Drakken doesn't do monkeys."

"So?"

Ron sighed at her ignorance.

"So, Camille," he spat. "Why would Drakken want a monkey head statue if his plans never have anything to do with monkeys? Think for a second!"

She didn't like his tone. How dare he speak to her like that. But he was obviously trying to prove a point. She would ignore the insult for now.

"Okay, if you're so smart then explain it to me."

"The point is that it wasn't Drakken's plan. It was someone else's. And that someone is Monkey Fist."

"How do you know it's Monkey Fist?"

"Who else would be dumb enough to base their plans of world conquest on a bunch of stupid monkeys? That freak is obsessed with them. Haven't you ever seen him?"

She hadn't seen Monkey Fist first hand. She had only ever heard about the freak that he was. What kind of twisted person would replace their own hands and feet with monkey paws? It sickened her to even think about it. Looking down at her own hands, Camille imagined what they would look like if they were big and hairy. An involuntary look of disgust appeared on her face as she did so.

"I haven't seen him. But I've heard enough about that psycho."

"The point is that monkeys are his game. He's done it in the past plenty of times. The idols, the amulet, the Lotus Blade, everything the guy does revolves around his stupid mystical monkey stuff."

"So you're saying he's the one behind Drakken's plan?"

"Exactly."

Camille laughed softly. It figured that Drakken wouldn't be able to come up with something on his own.

"Kay, so why does this matter to us?"

"Because Monkey Fist knows what's real and what's fake. And he doesn't waste time doing plans with fake stuff."

"Wait, you think that that monkey head thing can really do something?" she asked skeptically.

"I know it can."

She was surprised to hear the confidence in his voice. He was certain that whatever she had been tasked in getting for Drakken had real power. But she wasn't convinced.

"You mean to tell me you believe in his monkey power stuff?"

"Believe in it?" he smiled. "I lived it."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't even look up as he continued to tinker with his rather large pistol. It was too big to be a normal handgun. The barrel was especially large.

"You did your research on me. You know about my mystical monkey power."

"Honestly I thought that was all a bunch of crap. I don't believe in that stuff."

That got his attention. He looked up and shot a venomous look at her. But her own glare didn't falter. The two sat there staring at each other for several seconds before Ron looked back down at his work.

"A couple years ago I went on a mission by myself to his manor. Long story short, I got zapped by four idols. They lifted me from the ground with yellow energy. And after that I was able to defeat Monkey Fist, a master in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, in hand to hand combat."

Camille frowned when he was finished speaking. That had been in her report. She didn't really give it any credit at the time. She merely believed that he had gotten lucky, much like he had done in many of the other missions detailed in The Ron Factor file.

"And then there was the time that Kim put on some monkey amulet of his and turned into a monkey herself," he continued. "I can assure you that it was far from being fake. It's a distressing feeling when you see your best friend… former best friend, turn into the creature you fear the most."

"Fine, whatever. It's not fake. What does this monkey head do then?"

"I don't know. But we're going to find out. Did it have a name?"

She sat on her couch in thought for a moment before the name came to her.

"Yeah. It was called the Tempus Simia, or something like that."

Ron paused on his project as he looked off to the side. He was mouthing the words Tempus Simia silently to himself, as if he was trying to figure out the meaning of them.

"It sounds Latin," he finally said aloud. "But I have no idea what it means. Why didn't I pay more attention in that pointless class?"

"Why don't we just look it up online?"

"Yes, good idea. You go do that."

Camille grabbed the laptop that was sitting on the couch beside her and lifted the lid to open it. A few seconds later she was typing the name of the idol into a search engine.

"Okay, there are actually a few sites that have the words together," she said as she continued looking through the list.

"Any give a translation?"

"Yeah. It says here that it means 'time monkey'."

"Time Monkey…" he said thoughtfully. "Okay, you keep looking for information. I just need to finish tweaking this weapon before I get started on mixing the chemicals for it."

"What are you working on anyway? What chemicals?"

He smiled evilly as he looked at the hard plastic and aluminum object in his hands.

"It used to be an innocent paintball gun. But I've converted it to be able to fire darts, like a tranquilizer gun. Now all I need to do is use the formula I created to make a tranq chemical and fill up the darts with it."

"You mean to tell me that all this time you've been working on a stupid tranquilizer gun? What happened to the Mega Weather Generator? And all the other stuff you've done?"

"The right tool for the right task, Camille," he said calmly. "You don't need a sledge hammer to hang a picture on the wall."

"So what are you going to do with this thing?"

"Kim has the monkey head."

"Yeah. We just went over that," she said flippantly.

He shot her another threatening glare. Camille wasn't the only one who was getting annoyed by a bad attitude.

"So we're going to get it from her. And this will help us."

"Well we're going to have to wait until tomorrow then. She's going on some date tonight with that Mankey kid."

Ron looked at her curiously. The two of them had been standing not too far from Kim and Josh when they were celebrating after regionals. But he had never gotten the impression that they were going on a date.

"Date? What date?"

"They're not just hanging out as friends tonight. They're going on a date."

"What makes you say that?" he wondered.

"Oh come on. Couldn't you see the way that idiot was looking at her? It's so obvious that he still has feelings for her. I see guys giving me that look all the time," she smirked.

The smile had a purpose. She wanted him to get jealous. And he did. Ron emitted a low growl when she had mentioned other guys.

"And if I see them looking at you like that they'll be checking out the next girl they see through two black eyes," he threatened.

"I had no idea you cared so much," she lied.

She enjoyed toying with him. Not just him though, everyone. Especially guys. She knew that they checked her out on a regular basis, and not just because of her celebrity status. She regularly flaunted her assets for them to see when she was out. It was why she wore so many low cut, tight tops and such short skirts. She taunted them by showing them something they could never have. And having Ron around to get jealous of the stares was just icing on the cake. She couldn't wait until he got into a fight with some random guy for looking at her the wrong way.

"Can we get back to the plan?" he said bitterly.

She smiled to herself.

"Sure Ron. Whatever you want."

"As I was saying… we're going to get the monkey head from Kim. And we're going to do it tonight. We're going to crash their date."

"Harsh, but I like harsh. How are you going to do it in a public place though?"

"I'm not blue like I was last time. And everyone knows that Kim and me are tight. At least they think we still are. So the two of us being together isn't going to draw any suspicious attention toward us."

"And you have the tranq gun in case she won't tell you where it is?" she asked.

"Not quite. I'll tell you the details while I work on the chemical mix."

He stood up and gathered the necessary liquids he needed to finish his project.

"By the way, did you ever find out what Tempus Simia means?"

She gave him a weird look. She didn't know if this was some kind of weird game or not. They had talked about it only a couple minutes earlier.

"Um, yeah? It means time monkey. Don't you remember?"

He paused and thought about it for a moment.

"I think I would remember something like that. Whatever. At least you're doing something useful around here for once."

He set down the bottles of liquids in his hands and walked out of the living room.

Camille watched him exit the room with a scowl on her face. She liked him with an edge. But this edge was beginning to get a bit too sharp. She would have to put him in his place if this partnership was to continue.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim was sitting anxiously on her couch watching TV. But her mind was on anything but the show she was watching. She couldn't get her mind off of Wade. Earlier she had delivered the attitudinator to him in a secure, padded package. It was up to him now to make it stable and usable. One false step and it was all over. And the knowledge of that was making her nervous beyond belief.

She couldn't believe that it had come to this. Things had never gotten this bad before. It had never been this personal or dangerous to her and the people she cared about. Drakken, Shego, Monkey Fist and Camille had taken this game of heroes and villains to the next level. No, they had taken it beyond the next level. She had never felt so terrified in her life. She could no longer blame herself for her interrogation methods she had used on Camille. She had to do it. It was the only way to find out what she had needed to know. And more than that, the girl had brought it all on herself. Kim could feel no pity.

As she sat there thinking she heard her doorbell ring. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about Josh. Right after regionals they had agreed to hang out tonight. Originally it was supposed to have been with Monique and Felix as well, but they had to back out. Now it would be just her and Josh. She was still a bit anxious about the idea of it. They had dated before. They had mutually ended the relationship because they had grown apart. What if he was interested in her again? What if them being alone did something to harm their friendship?

She reached the door and opened it to see Josh standing there. At least he didn't have flowers. That was a good sign.

"Hey Josh," she smiled as she gestured for him to come inside.

He stepped past her and into her house.

"Hey Kim. How are you doing tonight?"

A frown appeared on her face as she sighed. She didn't want to make their evening together depressing. But one of the reasons they were hanging out was so she could fill him in on all the Ron and Camille business. There was no reason for her to hold back.

"Honestly, not too good. But I'm glad we're going to be spending some time together. I could really use a friend."

He smiled warmly as he watched her put on her shoes.

"That's what friends are for."

She grabbed her purse before the two of them walked outside. She locked the door behind her before the turned to face him.

"So what are we doing tonight?"

"Well I figure because we're friends and stuff we could go do what you and Ron do. You know, go to Bueno Nacho, maybe see a movie. I'm not too picky."

Kim nodded in agreement with what he said.

"Bueno Nacho. Sounds good. I am kind of hungry."

"Cool. I didn't bring my car, I figured it was nice out so we could walk there. And it's not far either. It will give us a nice chance to talk."

"Sounds good."

The two teens began their walk toward Kim's all too familiar hang out spot. Only this time it wasn't with her best friend. Sure, Josh was a good friend. But he wasn't nearly on the same level that Ron was.

"So what's the deal with you and Ron lately?" he wondered. "And Camille. I've heard from others girls that you two are big enemies now."

She sighed as she thought about how she was going to explain it all.

"It's a really long story."

"I've got all night," he smiled.

She smiled when she heard that. She decided that she might as well start from the beginning.

"Well it turns out that Camille came to town to mess with me. She's working for my arch foe Dr. Drakken. It was all part of their plan to break Ron and me up so I wouldn't be as effective at stopping them."

"Seriously? Camille's a super villain?"

She heard the disbelief in his voice. She couldn't blame him either. Saying that Camille Leon, the rich, spoiled celebrity who was famous for doing nothing was a super villain was a pretty big accusation. She only hoped that he would believe her.

"I know it sounds crazy. But it's true. Do you believe me?"

"I know you deal with a lot of weird stuff in your line of work. I know and trust you. You wouldn't lie about something like that."

She smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks Josh. You're one of the few people who I think would trust me on this."

"So then why is Ron dating her if she's evil?"

"Well I didn't find out she was evil until a week ago. She had already been dating him for a while before that, and Ron was convinced that I was jealous of her. So when I did finally tell him he didn't believe me. And now…"

"What?"

"Now Ron is evil too."

Josh frowned.

"Ron is evil? I know him, he doesn't have an evil bone in his body. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Remember earlier in the year when he went through his 'bad boy' phase? Remember the food fight with that thing that shot mashed potatoes?"

"Oh yeah, that was funny," he laughed when he remembered the incident.

Kim on the other hand didn't laugh. She knew the truth about what had happened to him back then and now.

"He got turned evil back then by something called the attitudinator. And it's happened to him again. It's really bad. I've never been so scared for him in my life."

"Why? What's going on with him?"

"Earlier today I met with the guy who invented it. He told me that Ron was going to slowly go insane because of it. And if I can't help him in time… he's…"

"Kim?" Josh said with worry in his voice.

"If I can't help him in time he's going to die."

Josh's mouth opened slightly but said nothing. His face was in a state of complete surprise. It was the last thing he would have expected to hear. People didn't die in Kim's world. They tried to conquer the world, they went to prison and they escaped. But no one had ever been seriously hurt before. No one had ever died.

"How are you going to help him?"

"I found what I need to help him. Wade's working on it right now. He said that I needed to get out of the house and stop calling him and worrying about it. I'm lucky that you're here with me now. I really need to get my mind off of it."

Josh smiled again as he saw Bueno Nacho off in the distance. It wouldn't take long to get there now.

"I'm really happy I can help you. I know I don't know anything about your enemies and I can't do much to help, but I'm glad I can help in my own little way."

"Thanks Josh."

Kim too saw that they were nearing the restaurant. Right now she was starving. A couple of nacos would do the trick. But right as she thought about eating nacos she remembered Ron. She remembered the day he had invented them, the day he had received his royalty check. Mostly she remembered how he could devour his entire meal before she was finished with one. She fought hard to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Josh saw them too. They were just outside of the restaurant now. He took her hand and led them to one of the outdoor tables and sat her down. He took a seat next to her, all the while still holding her hand.

"Kim, you're going to get him back. You can do anything after all. I believe in you."

The display of emotion from him caused her to unleash her own. A couple of tears slowly dripped down her face. She couldn't hold them back any longer.

"But what if I don't? What if I lose him forever?"

"You won't."

But before Kim could protest she saw Josh place his hand on her cheek to wipe away one of her tears. He moved his mouth slowly to hers and placed a kiss on her lips. At first Kim didn't know what to do. They weren't dating, they were just friends. What was he thinking? And yet she didn't fight it. Instead she returned the kiss. She hadn't felt this way since they had dated several months back, not counting the moodulator. Other than kissing Ron under its effects, the last boy she had kissed was Josh. And now here they were again. She didn't know whether it was because she was emotionally compromised at the moment, or because she still had genuine feelings for him, but she didn't want it to end. For the first time in a long time she felt happy.

When their lips parted her teary eyes looked into his own.

"Josh…" she whispered.

Before either could say another word they realized that someone had come up behind them. They turned to see the smiling face of Ron staring at them. It wasn't the warm smile that they were both used to. It reeked of spite and evil.

"Well well well, it looks like the love birds are together again," he grinned. "And here I thought the two of you had grown apart."

Josh stood up from his seat and stepped in front of Kim.

"I've heard about what you are now, Ron," he said with warning in his voice. "You stay away from Kim."

Ron began laughing maniacally at Josh's words. He couldn't believe the boldness that the art enthusiast was displaying.

"Wow, that was hilarious, Josh," he said when he had recovered his ability to speak. "You think you can stop me if I decided to do something?"

Kim stood up and put an arm to Josh's chest, forcing him back a step. She took a place in front of him. He wasn't trained in any kind of martial arts. She was an expert in sixteen styles. If there was a physical confrontation tonight it would be between her and Ron. No one else could get hurt because of his condition.

"What do you want Ron?" she said threateningly.

"I'm just here to ask you a question. And how fitting, you're with Josh Monkey," he said using his old insult for the young man. "Kim, where is the head to the Tempus Simia idol?"

Rage flared in Kim's mind. It was back to the idol. First Camille, then Drakken, and now Ron. What was their infatuation with that stupid stone head?

"Like I would tell you. Have you decided to work for Drakken too?"

He laughed once more, this time at the accusation.

"Oh Kim, I would never work for a loser like that. I'm doing this for me. Now where is it?"

"I wouldn't tell you even if you tried to beat it out of me," Kim said as she set herself in a combat stance. "And I don't think you're even close to being able to take me."

He considered her words for a moment before speaking.

"No, probably not. But I have ways of getting around that."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Rather than answering her question he asked one of his own.

"Why did you two stop dating? You're such a cute couple," he said sarcastically.

"None of your business. And one way or another, you're coming with me tonight. It's up to you whether you're conscious or not."

"Truer words were never spoken, Kim," he said before he turned to Josh. "So monkey boy, why did you two stop dating?"

"Because she's a total prude," Josh said casually.

Kim's eyes went wide in shock when she heard that. She turned to ask why he had said such a thing. She was just in time to see Josh stab her arm with a syringe and push the plunger down, sending a putrid looking yellow liquid into her veins.

"Josh…?" she said in disbelief as her body began to feel weak.

Hey eyelids felt heavy and her legs gave out from under her. Josh caught her before she could hit the ground and set her back on the small bench at the outdoor table. After that he turned to Ron with a smirk on his face.

"That was way too easy," he said, sounding almost disappointed. "But the look on her face when she realized I wasn't Josh… that was a beautiful sight. It was priceless."

"I told you I know her weakness. Boys boys boys… and especially this one," Ron said as he poked Josh's chest to emphasize his point. He frowned after doing so. "Um, Camille? Can you change back now? I'm kinda uncomfortable talking to another dude like this."

"When we get home. I can't change in public like this."

"Right. Okay, let's bring her to your car."

Ron and Camille grabbed Kim's unconscious body and brought her to Camille's waiting Porsche. They put her in the back seat before driving back to Camille's house. They would get their answers there.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim's eyes slowly opened to see her surroundings spinning all around her. She blinked hard several times trying to clear her vision, but to no avail. The room, one she couldn't recognize at the moment, was still unclear. Her body felt numb in places and she couldn't move her arms. After a few seconds things were beginning to seem a bit clearer. She knew this place. She just couldn't remember how or why.

It was then that she realized why she couldn't move her arms either. They were tied behind her. More than that, there was a second rope around her torso that was securing her to a chair. She was still weak, but tried to escape the bonds anyway. The efforts were in vain. Her head was still dizzy, but now things were starting to become even clearer. She blinked a few more times and realized that it was definitely a place she had been before. The voice that began speaking made the mystery a whole lot easier to solve.

"Look who's finally awake."

Kim groggily turned her head to see Camille sitting at her kitchen table. The blonde had a slight smirk on her face when she realized that Kim was still recovering her senses. She stood up and walked toward the teen hero.

"How does it feel to be on the other end of this?" she smiled.

"Camille…" Kim said weakly. "What's going on?"

"What's going on? Come on Kim, you're smarter than that. I thought it would be obvious that Ron and me kidnapped you."

"What did you do with Josh?"

"He's fine. But he won't be joining us tonight."

Kim blinked hard several more times as she was becoming more aware and awake.

"Still tired? Let me help you."

Camille lashed out and slapped Kim hard across her face. She let out a small cry of pain from the contact.

"Let me go," Kim growled.

"Hmm… I seem to remember saying the same thing. And like you said, you're in no position to be making demands."

"Where's Ron."

"He's in another room working on something. You know your former friend is really a genius when he's evil. He may not have made a doomsday machine yet, but he did come up with the chemical that knocked you out for the past few hours."

"A few hours? What time is it?"

Camille glanced at the clock.

"Around eleven. You've been out since about seven thirty."

Kim's rage returned to her now that she was fully conscious again. She didn't have time for this. Every hour was precious when it came to Ron's condition.

"Did Wade call me?" Kim wondered when she realized her kimmunicator wasn't in her pocket anymore.

"Wade…" Camille said as she thought about the name. "Oh, Wade. Your tech nerd friend. Yeah, he called. I took the call posing as you. He said that everything is ready and he's waiting for you to come pick it up."

Kim felt chills running through her. Wade must have believed that it was the real Kim he was talking to. That means he would have told her everything about the attitudinator. And that knowledge in Camille's hands was a dangerous thing.

"Camille, you have to let me go. I have to save Ron."

"Save Ron? Oh right, all that stupid stuff you were babbling to me about when you thought I was Josh. Yeah, sorry, not buying it."

"Not buying it!" she roared. "Camille, Ron's life is seriously in danger! I have to turn him good again before the attitudinator's side effect kills him!"

"Blah blah blah," Camille said as she used her hand to mimic a moving mouth. "You just can't accept the fact that you lost. You know that the only way to beat me is by turning Ron good again. Well I'm sorry Kim, not happening."

"You have to believe me! Have you been noticing him acting different? Has he been getting really angry and forgetting stuff? Those are the signs, Camille. You have to trust me!"

Camille thought for a moment before dismissing the redhead's claims. She wasn't about to give in. This was her moment of triumph.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

"You'll see soon enough. And if he dies because of you, I will get you back. You haven't even begun to see what I'm capable of. Don't test me on this."

Camille laughed at the threat.

"By the way Kim, I've never kissed another girl before."

The memory of Josh kissing her came flooding back to her. The entire time it hadn't even been him. Everything she said was to Camille. And that means that it was Camille who had kissed her.

"You are seriously twisted. I feel like I need to puke right now."

"You bruise my face, I bruise your mind."

"Shut up. You deserved everything I did to you last night."

"I have to admit, I didn't hate it. I mean, it wasn't as good as kissing Ron. But you weren't bad. You tasted minty. Maybe you were expecting to kiss Josh on your date."

Kim blanched at what Camille had just said. She felt disgusted and violated.

"Don't be like that," Camille smirked. "You should feel honored. You popped my bi-curious cherry. Or rather, I popped yours. I've been doing that a lot lately. And believe me, kissing you was totally worth seeing you get your hopes up only for me to tear them down," she laughed.

The hatred and disgust inside Kim only grew. She hated Camille. She hated her so much. But right now she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't break free of the ropes. Then a chilling thought entered her mind.

"Wait…" she said cautiously. "What did you mean by 'I've been doing that a lot lately'?"

"Like I said, you're a smart girl. Put two and two together."

She didn't want to. She knew that she had already solved the equation, but she desperately didn't want to think of the answer. But it didn't matter. It was already in her head.

"Did you and Ron…" she said before stopping. She couldn't even bring herself to speak the last words.

The sinister smile returned to the heiress' face.

"Who wouldn't want some of this?" she said as she moved her hand from the top to the bottom of her body, as if putting it on display. "We did. In fact, it was last night. Right after you left here. He was such a gentleman to come over that late at night and comfort me after you did what you did. He knows all about how you hurt me. And he hates you for it…" she said as she reminisced about telling him. "He hates you so much for hurting me…"

Kim's mouth went dry as tears began welling in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. Ron's virginity had been lost to that harpy. And it wasn't even his choice. The monster that Ron had become was not the boy she had grown up with, the one who was her best friend. But his body was. And Camille had taken something from him that he could never get back. She had taken his innocence just like her own moral innocence. She was on the verge of vomiting. She had to work hard to gather the strength to ask another question.

"Did you at least… use protection?" she asked weakly.

"Would it bother you if we didn't?"

Kim's mouth was agape as she tried to think of something to say to that. But instead Camille continued speaking.

"Would it bother you if I got knocked up by Ron? How would you feel if I had his baby, and I was in his life forever? Even if he was turned good again, I would still be the mother of his child. How would you feel to know that I would always have a bigger, more important role in Ron's life than you? You would always come second to me, even if he did hate me. I bet that you wouldn't be able to stand it. You would have to get as far away from him as possible."

Kim was having trouble trying to respond as she listened to what Camille was saying. The scenario she had just described was terrifying. The very thought of Ron and Camille having a child together was appalling. It would be the final, irreversible nail in the coffin of their friendship.

Camille began laughing as she saw Kim's reaction. She shook her head in pity.

"Relax Kim, we used protection. I'm not interested in having a kid at eighteen years old. Even if it would ruin your friendship with him forever."

Kim breathed a sigh of relief. It was a victory at least. And right now she needed every victory she could get her hands on. She heard footsteps coming their way.

"Oh look, here he is now," Camille said as she turned to see Ron walk in the kitchen.

Camille went up to him and planted a firm kiss on his lips. She looked over at Kim when she was done to gauge her reaction. She loved taunting Kim by putting her relationship with Ron on full display in front of her.

"Are you two playing nice?" he asked.

"Very nice. I've only hit her once."

"Well feel free to do it more. Later, though. Right now we have business to attend to."

Ron pulled a chair in front of the bound Kim and sat down. His dull, emotionless eyes stared into her own.

"Where did you hide the Tempus Simia head?"

"Ron, you have to stop this. You're in serious danger."

"Where is it!" he yelled.

"I'm not telling you. You have to let me help you. The attitudinator is going to kill you."

"Strike two," he said randomly.

"What?"

He turned to Camille.

"Okay Camille. Plan B."

The blonde nodded as she morphed to look like Kim. She was almost an exact copy, including her current attire. Nearly anyone would be fooled by the imposter.

Ron stood up and went next to her.

"Hey KP, let's go hang out at your house tonight. I can spend the night just like old times," he said in a kind, innocent voice.

"Sounds good Ron. Maybe you can play some video games with my brothers like you used to. It will be so much fun to be alone with my family all night!"

Kim understood now. It was a very real, very personal threat that they were making against her. It was one against her family where she would be helpless to protect them. She couldn't let it happen.

Ron turned back to her.

"Last chance Kim. Where's the head?"

She had to give in.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Please, just don't hurt my family. Please Ron, they didn't do anything to you. This is between the three of us."

He sat back down on the chair and continued staring at her.

"It's in a box in my back yard. I buried it near the back door. I disguised the spot the best I could, but if you look close enough you should see that it looks different than the rest of the grass."

Ron stood up with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"There. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Just go get it. Then let me go. But please, just don't hurt my family."

"If it's there like you say it is, I will not harm your family," he said coldly.

She closed her eyes and shuddered.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

Ron looked back at Camille, who was still disguised as Kim.

"Okay. Go get it."

"What? It's past eleven. It's dark. And there's no way I'm going to dig it up and get my nails all dirty."

"Now Camille!" he yelled furiously.

She jumped back at the force in his voice. Hearing him yell like that was frightening. The look in his eyes was worse. She felt scared, similar to what she had felt the previous night when Kim had attacked her.

"Fine. Whatever," she said before storming from the room.

When Ron heard the front door close he eyed Kim once again.

"Good sidekicks are so hard to find these days…" he muttered.

"Ron… you have to listen to me. The attitudinator ripped half of your personality from your head. It's really hurting your mind. And in a few days the damage is going to be irreversible. It's going to kill you."

He shook his head in disagreement.

"No Kim, the attitudinator has made me strong. Do you know how wonderful it feels to not have that part of your mind? Do you know how good it feels to live a life with no morality, no fear of consequences? It's amazing. You need to try it sometime."

"Please Ron. I talked to Jack Hench today. The attitudinators have been recalled. They're a danger to people's lives, including yours. If I don't help you in the next few days you're going to die."

"I'm calling your bluff, Kimberly Anne Possible," he said with authority.

He saw her struggling with the ropes he had tied around her. He knew there was no chance of her escaping.

"I tied those myself. I'm amazed at how useful the things I learned to do at Camp Wannaweep have turned out to be. There's no way you're getting out of those ropes anytime soon."

Deep down she knew that he was right. She ceased her struggling.

"And now we just wait here until Camille gets back with the monkey head. After that you're free to go home."

"This isn't over Ron. I'm not going to give up on you. You've been my best friend for twelve years. And you still are, even if you don't realize it at the moment. I will keep trying until one of us is dead."

He ignored her as he fished a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Do you see this Kim?" he said pointing to the piece of paper. "This is what I was able to come up with thanks to the attitudinator. It makes me strong! It makes me smart! Look at it!"

He shoved the paper in front of her. Her eyes widened with fear when she looked at it.

"Ron…" she said uneasily. "Those aren't doomsday machine schematics."

"What are you talking about?" he said as he looked at the drawing. "You must just be too stupid to understand the brilliance of what I've designed."

"You just drew a bunch of shapes with random numbers and… smiley faces on them…"

He shook his head in disgust.

"The smiley faces are because of how happy I will be once I conquer the world! But obviously you really are too stupid to understand my genius!"

Kim was an intelligent person. And she knew that there was no sense to what Ron had drawn. It was nothing but random insanity.

"It's one of the side effects of the attitudinator. You're going insane. You have to let me help you get back to normal."

He didn't respond. Instead he just walked out of the kitchen and back to Camille's living room.

Kim hung her head down. She felt broken and defeated. They were going to get half of the Tempus Simia idol. Neither of them believed in the true danger of the attitudinator. Camille had posed as Josh and had made her feel warm and safe, only to snatch those emotions away from her. Camille had even kissed her in the guise of Josh. But the one thing that hurt the most was how Camille had taken Ron's virginity. Kim could handle the things that had been done to her. But she wept for what had been done to Ron. Nothing that had been done to her came close to that.

She waited there and occasionally looked at the clock on the wall. It had been around twenty minutes since Camille had left that she heard the door open again. She was back. Kim hoped that she had been able to find the Tempus Simia head.

Around a minute later the villainous duo returned to the kitchen with Ron holding the prize in his hands.

"Glad to see you weren't lying. Though I knew with your family on the line that you wouldn't."

"You have what you want," Kim hissed. "Now let me go."

"As you wish, princess," he said using Shego's word, the one that he knew Kim hated. "Cut her loose Camille."

Camille did as she was told, grabbing a large pair of scissors and began cutting through the ropes that held Kim in place. A few seconds later she was free.

During this time Ron had placed the idol head on the counter and had produced a pistol. Kim looked at it in fright, despite the fact that it didn't look like a real gun.

"Paintball gun," he clarified to her. "I fixed it to shoot tranq darts. Like the stuff that knocked you out for more than three hours tonight. Make one wrong move and I put some more into you. And then Camille and me go play with your family. Your move."

Kim didn't respond, but instead glared hatefully at them before walking out of the room. They followed her to the door and saw her out.

When it was clear that she wasn't coming back, the two made their way to the living room where they both sat on the couch. It had been a busy night, but they had accomplished everything they had set out to do. Not only had they acquired the object they sought. But they had also emotionally devastated Kim. That itself was equally as important to them as the Tempus Simia head.

"So what now?" Camille asked. "We still need the other half."

Ron nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow we're making a trip to the doctor's office. He has the cure for our problem."

"Were you really going to hurt Kim's family?" she wondered.

A small smile formed on his lips as he shook his head.

"No, of course not. I love Kim's family like my own. But I had to make her believe that I would hurt them if she didn't give me what I wanted."

She smiled back to him as she traced a finger down his cheek.

"Nice to see that you're learning some manipulation skills from me."

"I've learned a lot more than that from you," he said cryptically.

Her smile widened because she knew exactly what he was talking about. And telling that to Kim had been even more fun than she thought it would be. But in her mind she frowned as she thought about something that Kim had told her tonight.


	17. Fever Pitch

Authors Note: Had to recharge my writing batteries. Painting seems to do that. Hopefully the next update won't take as long. Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing. And thanks to my friend Brandon for beta reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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"_Your noble son is mad:  
Mad call I it, for to define true madness,  
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?  
But let that go."_

_~Hamlet, ii, 2_

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Camille was a bit nervous at the prospect of seeing Ron today. His attitude had fluctuated the previous day on a frightening scale. Some moments he was calm and collected. A second later he could be screaming at her to do something or insulting her for some trivial reason. He no longer resembled any of the young man she had once dated, even if it was just a fake relationship. She had no idea what to expect. He was becoming ever more erratic with each passing day. The unpredictability of his moods was more unnerving than his actual rage. She wished she could have him back to how he had been the morning he had shown up at her door.

That had been a wonderful day. He had displayed real emotion and concern for her. They had wreaked havoc upon a couple of their enemies and emotionally devastated Kim. It had been perfect. But since that day he has been getting more and more aggressive. Not just toward their enemies, but her as well. It was beginning to cause her concern. She had elected to be alone the previous evening because she didn't want to be with the person who had ordered her to dig up the Tempus Simia idol's head. She had nothing but bitterness for him after he had made her do that. But then there was what Kim had told her.

He had shown her the plans for his doomsday device. At first she had been thrilled. He was finally doing something with the brilliance she knew she had buried deep within him. He was finally going to make something of himself. With the device they would be able to have it all, she would be able to have her future back. She wouldn't have to worry about where money was going to come from or having to do tasks for Dr. Drakken. But then she had seen his plans. She didn't dare show any emotion when she saw what they were. She didn't know if it was a joke or if he was serious. One look at his face gave her the answer. It wasn't a doomsday device. It was insanity written down on paper.

Could it be true that the attitudinator was causing his mind to decay? She honestly didn't want to believe it. It had to be a trick. She had caused Kim so much pain and angst that the redhead was desperate. Convincing her that Ron was in grave danger to change him back was the only way Kim could beat her. She was sure of this. But still, that little seed of doubt had been planted in her mind. What if Kim wasn't lying? What if Ron's sudden and drastic change in demeanor was the result of his brain deteriorating?

Debutante was sitting in Camille's lap as she thought about these things. She was gently petting the hairless cat as her head laid back against the back of her couch. Why was it that everything in her life had to be flawed? Her childhood, her family, her wealth, and now her plans? Why couldn't she have something she truly wanted? She had had the time of her life causing chaos with Ron, and now there was a chance that this would be taken away as well. She decided that she would have to pay closer attention to his words and actions today.

And today was a big day. The plan was to go to Drakken's lair and secure the body of the Tempus Simia idol. It would be simple enough. Drakken knew and trusted Camille. They would be able to get in easily. And once inside they would neutralize the guards, and most importantly, Shego. After that was done they would get the idol from Drakken and make their escape. It was the perfect plan.

Now she just had to wait for Ron to arrive. She hoped he was in one of his good moods. The way the boy could suddenly change from calm to manic to enraged was frightening. The littlest thing could set him off one way or another. She had once thought that she had to put him in his place. But could one really bargain with an insane person? That was if he was even insane in the first place like Kim had told her.

Kim may have had a reason to lie, but she had a much more important reason to tell the truth. Camille knew how deep the bond they once shared was. She knew that they cared for each other like siblings. So there was no way that Kim would ever risk letting Ron die as she claimed he would if he was not cured of his condition. It was all such a mess. Even someone as experienced in manipulation like Camille couldn't tell whether she was being deceived or not.

She looked up when she heard the doorbell ring. Now was the moment of truth. More than just that though, it was the beginning of the final phase of his plan. She still didn't know what the Tempus Simia was supposed to do. All she knew was that he wanted it just like everyone else.

Ron looked relatively calm when she opened the door. He stepped past her and into her home.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. I guess," she said as she looked down at her attire.

Her clothing was unusually baggy for her. The skirts and tight outfits she normally enjoyed wearing were not proper for a mission. She knew that she wasn't going to be doing any fighting, that wasn't her thing. But if there was a need to run or climb something she knew that she had to be ready.

"Good. Call Drakken and arrange a pickup."

"How am I supposed to convince him to pick us up?"

"Not us," he corrected her. "Just you. Tell him you were successful in acquiring the idol head. He will be more than willing to send out a henchman. Just don't mention anything about me. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

She saw the wisdom in his words. Of course she would have done the same thing. Her bringing along Kim Possible's former sidekick may make him hesitant, even if it was Shego who had turned him evil to begin with. She still had to ask the green freak why she did it in the first place.

"Alright. Hold on," she said as she got her cellphone out of her pocket.

Ron paced around her living room while she was on the phone with Dr. Drakken. It didn't take long for her to finish. Apparently Drakken was ecstatic and wanted his prize as soon as possible. Ron grinned when he thought about how disappointed the mad scientist would be.

"A guy is on the way," Camille said as she flipped her phone shut and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"Good."

"So like, how exactly do you plan on getting the idol from him? He's going to have a lot of guards in there. Shego too."

Ron nodded in agreement. He looked down at one of his own large cargo pockets.

"The tranquilizer chemical I made will be more than enough to take care of those fools. And that will leave Drakken alone at my mercy," he said as his right eye began to twitch. "And he will give it to me. Either that or I'll inflict such torment on him that he will be begging for his own death."

It took every ounce of Camille's skill and experience in acting to not look at Ron in horror. She may be a bitch, she may do evil things, but she wasn't a monster. She didn't inflict physical harm on others. She never tried to truly harm another individual. But alarms went off in her mind once she had heard Ron say "death". Like she had been thinking earlier, he was no longer the kind, gentle person who had fallen for her. He wasn't even the partner in crime she had grown fond of. He was something far worse, far more dangerous.

And that twitching… she didn't know what that was. She didn't know if it was involuntary or not but it freaked her out. Being a psychotic super villain was not what she had had in mind for him when she wanted him as a partner. She had wanted him for his potential, for his power. Not for… this.

The two teens spoke to each other idly as they waited for their ride to arrive. Camille couldn't wait for it to get there any quicker. The less alone time with Ron, the less freaked out she would be by his behavior. Soon enough she heard the familiar sound of one of Drakken's small hovercrafts landing in her backyard.

Ron turned to her with a wide grin on his face. His head was tilted at an almost impossible angle. It made Camille want to whimper in fear.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his frightening smile never leaving his face.

Camille could only nod in confirmation.

"Gooood…" he whispered, his reply creepily elongated.

It had been only three days since the attitudinator had been used on him. Camille wondered if what Kim had been talking about could happen that quickly. Whether she chose to believe the teen hero or not, one thing was certain. She did not like this new Ron. Not one bit.

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Kim had just returned from Wade's house with the most precious object in the universe. Well, at least to her it was. The previous day the boy had succeeded in fixing the old attitudinator the best he could. The twice-broken, fragile device that had been used on Ron once before had been restored to the best shape possible. The cracked bulb from the most recent device had also been stabilized. Of course both were still in less than perfect condition. One false step could shatter both beyond repair. It broke her heart to know that simple truth.

She set the secure box down on her desk before moving to her bed. Her depression had grown worse than she had thought possible. What had happened last night with Ron and Camille was the cause of it. She had left her guard down, she had let herself be vulnerable in front of the person she thought to be Josh. She knew that she didn't have any romantic feelings for the young man. But in that moment of absolute sorrow and weakness she had given in to the kiss. She just needed to feel something good at the moment. And a few seconds of passion seemed like as good of a release as any. Until it had all been ripped away.

When she had returned home that night she brushed her teeth more than once. She had used more than the recommended amount of mouthwash to cleanse her mouth. She had to get that taste out of her mouth. The very idea that Camille had been in there made her want to vomit. She couldn't believe the girl would stoop that low. But then there was what Camille had said after all that. The most painful part of any of the recent events is what she did to Ron.

Kim's eyes shut tightly when she thought about it. Poor Ron. Her poor, innocent best friend had been violated and used in so many ways since Camille had come to town. She didn't know if he would ever recover from this once he was cured of his condition. Kim stopped her thoughts right there as her depression and doubt crept back into her mind. What if she couldn't get him back? What if he did end up dying because of the actions of a few super villains?

Kim had always had supreme confidence in anything she did. She after all could do anything. It was more than just a motto, it defined who she was. But recently she had been getting beat more than she could ever remember. Her confidence had been shaken. She, along with many others, had been manipulated and duped at least once. How could she retain her self-assurance when there was that kind of danger at every turn?

She laid back on her bed and shut her eyes again. She wanted to give up so badly. The pain was too much to take anymore. If it wasn't for Ron she might have done so. But that one tiny spark kept her going. It wasn't just her that would be affected by all of this. Her best friend's life was in danger. And as long as he had a chance she would never give up. She didn't want to think of what she would do if she did end up losing him. Maybe Camille would be right, and she would slowly slip to the dark side in a quest for vengeance. Maybe that would be the final, cruel blow in this whole drama. Kim wouldn't allow it.

She curled up in her bed and hugged a pillow close to her chest. She didn't know what she was going to do. How could she get close enough to Ron to use the stable, but still very vulnerable attitudinator? He knew what it was. He knew what she intended to do with it. He would attempt to destroy it the first chance he had. And with Camille at his side he would be even more likely to escape the device before Kim could use it. It all seemed hopeless. She wanted to cry. Yet her eyes gave her nothing. Who knows how many tears she had already shed over the past several days? She figured there was nothing left.

She laid there for several minutes, simply thinking about everything. The silence was broken when she heard her mother's voice come from the tiny staircase that led to her attic room.

"Kim?" Anne said. "You have a visitor."

Kim lifted her head with curiosity filling her face. She had no idea who it could be. Probably Monique wanting to cheer her up. Or maybe it was Camille. Maybe she had come to mess with her mind again.

She leapt out of bed and was wide awake now that the thought had entered her mind. If Camille wanted a fight she would get one. But the face she saw was probably the last she would have expected.

"Junior?" she asked.

The young billionaire climbed up the ladder and into her room. He smiled at her, but it did nothing to lower her guard against him.

"Hello Kim!" he said cheerfully, before his expression changed to one of concern. "Why is it that you have your fists pointed at me like that?"

"Because I have to find out if you're the real Junior or not."

His face was riddled with confusion as he looked down at the floor.

"Okay, what can I do to prove to you I am the real Junior? And who is the fake Junior?"

Kim's mind raced as she thought about her previous experiences with him. She had to find some kind of minor detail that he would remember. She finally thought of something.

"What were you doing that caused the accidental blackouts in Europe when we first met?"

Junior rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered her question. Kim was ready to pounce at a moment's notice. If he said anything wrong she would beat him to a pulp. She couldn't take any risks. Camille could not be allowed anywhere near the attitudinator.

"I believe it was because I was using the giant light bulb to work on my fabulous tan," he said confidently.

Kim let her arms fall to her sides as her expression softened. He had passed the test. She laughed on the inside when she thought that it must be a rare thing for him to pass a test. But as soon as she had thought that she mentally chastised herself. She shouldn't be mocking him. He was the closest thing she had to a partner at the moment. For better or for worse they were in this thing together. They both had something at stake, her best friend and his father.

"Okay. I believe you."

He nodded happily and sat down on her bed beside her. He noticed that her eyes were a bit red and puffy as well as the dark bags which were under them.

"Have you been crying?" he wondered.

Kim hated being seen as weak. She hid her moments of weakness the best she could, no matter who it was she was concealing them from. But the way he had come out and said it she knew there was no way to deny it.

"Yeah, a little bit," she lied. She had cried more than a little.

"About what?"

"About… Ron. About everything. A lot has happened since our mission to Australia."

"Please tell me. I wish to know what is happening with my father."

Kim had completely forgotten about Senior. Once she had learned the truth about Camille her thoughts had been focused on Ron. And since learning of Ron's turn to evil, and finding out that his life was in danger because of it, her attention had been focused purely on that. Junior was still in the dark about it all.

"Well…" she began before pausing for a moment. "It's more than just your dad now. It's about Ron too."

She spent the next few minutes explaining everything that had occurred since the day they had gone to Australia together. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She couldn't believe that it had only been a few days. Junior listened intently to her every word. She couldn't ever remember him being so focused on anything except dancing and his hair. But she figured that it was because this was personal for him as well. If Kim failed, Senior would still be in the clutches of Dr. Drakken. And Junior could not rescue him alone.

She couldn't hide the forlorn tone in her voice. She had never before faced such a challenge. There were multiple enemies all around her bent on either world conquest or her own personal destruction. Worse still, her best friend was among them. Sure, she had once before fought against Ron when he had been turned evil. But at the time there wasn't a time limit on his life. Well, at least not one she had known about at the time. Ignorance was bliss after all. Without knowing how little time she had back then to change him back there has been a lot less stress and pressure. Now it felt as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, even more so than usual.

Furthermore back then she had had an ally on her side. Junior may have been somewhat competent, but he was no match for Dr. Drakken, even when he was a good guy. Junior had little to no skills to offer in this fight, while Drakken was a genius with technology. Kim could only hope that what Junior lacked in brains he could make up for in brawn. Then again she had seen him fight against Monkey Fist before. He had no chance against the simian freak. But at least he might be able to provide a distraction for her…

After Kim finished explaining everything to him they sat in silence for a few seconds. She didn't know what else to say, while he was still digesting everything he had heard.

"Then this has become very personal for both of us," he finally said.

Kim nodded grimly.

"Then we have no choice but to save your friend. Come on, let's go."

She shot a incredulous look at him as he stood up from her bed.

"Go? Go where?"

"To Ron's House. Or Camille's, wherever they are."

"You think it will be that easy?"

He looked at her as if she had just turned as blue as Drakken.

"Yes? Why would it not be?"

"You don't just barge into a villain's lair… house… and shove an attitudinator on a person's head."

"Why not? You do it all the time to father and me. You never come invited, you never knock. You just barge in, as you say."

She had to give him that. Most of the time she thought about her plans as she went along. There was no time to plan out some brilliant tactical maneuver when Drakken or Dementor was stealing a priceless artifact or valuable technology. It was go in, neutralize the threat, and recover the item in question. It sometimes amazed her that in all of this time that neither she nor Ron had ever been seriously hurt. To call her reckless would be an understatement.

"Yeah but…" she frowned.

"But what? You are Kim Possible. You are the blue fox. You can do anything."

"Blue fox… right," smiled as she shook her head. "I thought you were going to give up on that animology stuff."

"Oh yes, I did," he said proudly. "And you will be happy to know that I have decided to take a chance on someone for whom I have felt something for a while now."

Kim feared what he was going to say next. He had made his feelings loud and clear on the helicopter ride several days earlier. She knew that he felt something for her, something that she didn't feel for him in return. It was a conversation she was dreading to have, but knew that it had to happen. She would have to let him down easily and hope that he understood.

"Junior, I'm flattered. I really am. But I just don't feel the same way about you that you do about me. I'm sorry."

He once again looked at her strangely. She hoped that he wasn't taking it too hard.

"You?" he asked humorously. "Oh Kim, I am sorry that I ever gave such an impression. It is not your eye that I wish to get the attention of."

Kim felt like she had just been punched in the gut. She felt like a fool. Junior didn't like her? It wasn't her that he was trying to gain the favor of? She had been so sure. But now she had been rejected by him. It shouldn't have felt so bad. After all, it wasn't like she had any feelings for him either. But still, it felt nice to be desired. Knowing that other people found you attractive was a good feeling. But if not her, who?

"Oh…" she said softly. "Wow, I'm so embarrassed."

"Do not concern yourself with that," he smiled. "I decided to take your advice and not rely on a stupid animology book to tell me who to have feelings for. Instead I went out there and took chances. And I think they have paid off."

Kim couldn't help but feel a tiny smirk threatening to blossom into a full grin. She loved helping people. It was what she did. It was why she was in the world saving business. And despite not rescuing a foreign prince or recovering a priceless work of art this time, she had still helped someone. She had helped Junior. Just a few simple words had shown him that his pursuit of a relationship was not bound to what a stupid little book said. In her darkest hour, a small spark of light was all it took to make her feel just a little bit good once again.

"I'm so happy for you, Junior. Who is it?"

"Well… there is nothing official right now. But let us just say that I came to this epiphany while I was getting the best massage I had ever had."

Kim didn't know what he meant by that. But seeing how he didn't want to reveal the object of his affections just yet, she wouldn't press the issue. Besides, she had been distracted for too long by this conversation. And while it felt good to escape the dark horrors of her life, even for only a few minutes, she knew that she had much more important things to do. But at the same time…

All traces of happiness fled her face as she looked down to the floor. Her changed expression didn't go unnoticed by her guest, who once more looked at her with concern.

"Kim? If my secrecy makes you feel this unhappy I will gladly tell you. After all, you are the reason I felt brave enough to pursue this action in the first place."

"No, no it's not that. It's just… whenever I think about everything that's happened, everything that has to happen, it just all feels so hopeless. For the first time in my life I don't feel like I can do anything. What if I lose Ron? What if he dies because I wasn't able to save him?"

Junior didn't know that she was capable of doubt. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was human just like he was. Everything she did seemed perfect and effortless. She had foiled his father's plans on more than one occasion. To hear that she had fears about what she did in a way destroyed the mystique that the villain community had for her. She was after all Kim Possible. She could do anything. And she did do anything on a regular basis.

"You cannot think like that. If you did you would not be sitting here right now. Do you remember when father and I put you on a conveyor belt to be frozen by the mini corn dog freezer?"

Kim nodded silently.

"You did not panic or give up there. You were able to escape and foil father's villainous plot. And there is no reason you cannot do it this time too."

"But-"

"Now I intend on turning Ron good again so we can all go rescue my father. Are you coming with me or not?"

It was like a slap to the face. If Senor Senior Jr. wasn't about to give up, if he wasn't about to let fear control him, then how could she let it? She was a hero. She had done this kind of thing dozens of times. And now, as never before, she had something truly worth fighting for. It wasn't a faceless organization or out of touch millionaire. It wasn't a cold, random piece of technology or some lofty ideal. It was Ron. He, more than anything else that had come before, was worth fighting for. He was worth giving everything she had in this mission.

Kim stood up and clenched her fists. She locked eyes with Junior as she took a deep breath.

"Alright. Let's go rescue your dad, and my best friend."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Drakken's small hover craft landed Camille and Ron wasted no time to board. At first the henchman who was piloting the craft gave her a questioning glance when he noticed Ron climb aboard. Few people could remember Ron, not even his name. But faces were easier to remember, especially the face of the sidekick of the girl who beat you up on a regular basis. Drakken may not have remembered anything about him, but at least this henchman did.

The man's look did not go unnoticed by the fallen heiress, who merely scowled at him before speaking.

"Look, you just do your job and fly us to Drakken's lair. Got it?"

"Yes Ms. Leon," he nodded.

Satisfied that the man had been put in his place, Camille took a seat next to Ron. He had his forehead pressed against one of the side windows. She didn't want to disturb whatever he was doing. The less they spoke the less chance there was for her to feel uncomfortable around him.

She felt fortunate that he had not spoken much on the flight to the lair. Occasionally he would mumble something, but she figured it was to himself since he never looked to her for an answer or comment.

Eventually he reached into his pocket and produced a deck of cards. He didn't ask her to play, but instead began shuffling them. He laughed maniacally as he did so, as if the cards themselves had told some joke that only he had heard. After several seconds of doing this he began laying them down to play a game of solitaire. She was thankful that he had not asked her to play something different.

As she glanced out her own window, Camille wondered what she was going to do after they got the Tempus Simia. They had no plan beyond getting it. And Ron was acting even worse than he was the prior day. She wondered if he even knew what to do with the stupid little statue. She wondered if it had any power at all. He of course believed it. He claimed that Monkey Fist never went after anything that didn't have real power. That was enough for him to go on. But Camille knew better. She knew that Monkey Fist was a psychotic freak who was obsessed with ancient magic. Was Ron going to become like him now?

She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw the tiny craft entering the landing bay of the lair. She had been here a couple times before, but it never felt quite right to be entering the home of a madman. She frowned when that thought hit her. Did she have nothing but madmen in her life these days? Where had it all gone so wrong? She was certain that one of the voices in her head would be more than willing to provide an answer. But by now she knew better than to listen to them, much less seek their advice. It made her wonder even more about the madmen in her life. Was she just one more of the insane people she knew? She didn't want to think about the answer.

The three of them disembarked from the craft as soon as it touched down. The henchman took the lead as he led them to the room that his employer was in, but he was obviously a bit uncomfortable in the presence of Kim Possible's sidekick. Even if he was usually ineffective it was still unnerving for him to be there. Henchmen may not have been the brightest people out there, but this man had thought at least once about it being some kind of setup. If only he knew the truth.

The doors to the main control room whooshed open as they strode in. It was a sound that Camille hated. Doors should not whoosh. It was an aspect of the life of villainy that she hated. There were plenty of things she didn't like about it, but she had been forced into it by circumstances beyond her control. Of course a person could say that she had other choices, but not to her. Once one started on the twisting road of vengeance there was little way to turn back. And the target of her vengeance was in this very lair. Just another perk of coming here today with Ron.

Shego looked up briefly at the noise before lowering her head back down to the fingernails she was filing. She did a double take and looked back up when she realized who had entered the room.

Drakken on the other hand was much more enthusiastic when he heard the door open. This was his triumph, his ultimate victory. Camille was about to deliver the item he sought, the item he desired more than anything in the world. But the huge grin on his face shrunk when he saw who had come in beside Camille. It turned into a grimace when he thought about what it must mean. Kim Possible must be near. But how? And why? And why wasn't she with him right now? He thought that they were no longer a team because of Camille's efforts. Seeing Ron here made him doubt it to be true.

He stormed over to them angrily as Shego stood from her seat.

"What's going on! Who let the buffoon in here!" he yelled at Camille.

Shego moved closer to him and ignited her fists in preparation for a fight. Both villains eyed the pair of blondes cautiously.

"Relax Drakken, he's on our side," Camille said, only telling half of the truth. It was something she had grown used to doing.

"What are you talking about? Where's Kim Possible?"

Ron began laughing like a maniac at the mention of Kim's name. His head whipped back and his mouth went wide as laughter erupted out of his mouth for many long seconds. Drakken gave Shego a curious look, which was only intensified when he noticed the look on her face.

"Oh no…" the villainess whispered.

"Oh no? Shego what's going on here!" Drakken snapped.

"It's… the attitudinator…" she said louder this time.

Drakken turned back to Ron who was still laughing up a storm. It looked as if there was no sign of him stopping anytime soon.

"Duh," Camille mocked. "You should know it's the attitudinator Shego, since you were the one who used it on him."

Shego was genuinely confused.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? You used the attitudinator on Ron last Thursday. It's kind of common knowledge these days. No use hiding it anymore."

"Shego, why didn't you tell me you did this?" Drakken asked.

"Because I didn't know myself…" she said thoughtfully. "What are you babbling about, blondie? I never used that thing on Stoppable. I would never want to again. He's a freak when he's evil."

Camille knew the truth in that statement. He was far more than a freak though. Shego was a freak with her comet powers. She herself was a freak with her shape shifting abilities. But Ron, he was no freak. He was simply… psychotic now.

"Then why did he tell me you did it?"

"How should I know what goes on in his head? I didn't do it. Don't know who did, don't care either. All I know is that I don't want him in this lair if he's all… evil."

"Shego, do you mean to tell me that you're afraid of the sidekick?" Drakken wondered.

She shot him a dirty glare for implying that she feared Ron. Even though she did a little bit she would never admit it. The incident with the sharks from several months earlier was still fresh in her mind. She wasn't used to the chilling fear that she felt being only steps away from falling into the pool of vicious sharks. But for that part of the day she spent with Ron under the effects of the attitudinator, she knew fear. And she did not want to experience it again.

"I'm not afraid of anyone. Especially the sidekick," she growled at Drakken. She knew it was a lie, but she wasn't about to lose face in front of her employer and their two guests.

Ron's laughter had finally ended in the middle of their conversation and he was more than willing to offer is input on the subject.

"Not afraid?" he asked. "I seem to remember putting you in your place when you were my sidekick."

Shego took an angry, yet cautious step forward when he insulted her.

"Keep talking like that and I'll put my boot in its place in a very uncomfortable spot for you."

Ron laughed once more, his high pitched cackle sounding more on par with a hyena than a human now. Any normal person would be unnerved by such a sound, but the three villains he stood with appeared to be unfazed.

"And knock it off with the stupid laugh."

"Don't get so upset, sidekick," Ron said to Shego. He knew that she hated being referred to as a sidekick. "You were the one who said you loved my evil laugh."

Shego remembered saying those words. It was hard to forget one of the few times in the past several years she had truly been afraid of being harmed.

"And you, being the idiot that you are, actually believed me. Though I shouldn't be surprised, with you being who you are."

Camille had had enough of these "pleasantries" between Ron and Shego. She was here for a reason. It was about time they got down to business.

"Look, are we going to do what we came here to do?" she asked the three others.

Drakken nodded approvingly. He was waiting for his monkey head after all. Standing there listening to Ron and Shego insult each other was getting him nowhere

"Yes I agree. Did you bring the Tempus Simia idol head, Camille?"

Camille turned her head and looked into Ron's eyes. An unspoken understanding was reached at once.

"Yes Drakken, we brought it. It's right here in this bag," Ron said as he reached into it.

What he pulled out was the last possible thing that either Drakken or Shego would have expected. In a flash he pulled out his large, converted paintball gun and fired a dart into Shego's stomach. The green-hued woman looked down at the tranquilizer dart protruding from her body before looking back up at the young man who had shot it.

"What…?" was all she managed to say before she slumped to her knees and fell face first onto the floor.

With precision gained from years of playing video games, Ron was on the move and shooting all of the red-clad henchmen that he could find. One by one the men fell to the ground unconscious until the magazine was out of ammunition. Tossing the weapon aside he decided that he had to do things the old fashioned way for the last two men.

Ron was never very good at martial arts. Sure he had mystical monkey power. Sure he had trained at the Yamanouchi School for a while. But he had never been able to harness his abilities. Until now. He didn't know why, but he suddenly fought with unprecedented skill and precision against the lumbering oafs that sought to bring him down. He could only assume it was because of the attitudinator, but his twisted mind didn't really care about the cause. He only cared about the effects. And they were clear for anyone to see.

The first henchman ran at him with a raised fist. Ron stood ready for combat until the last possible second. He spun and delivered a brutal kick into the man's gut which sent him stumbling several feet backwards. Seizing the initiative, Ron charged the slightly shaken man and sent a hard fist into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. As he was doubled over in pain, Ron grabbed him by the hair and drove his knee into the man's face. Blood poured out of the man's shattered nose as he fell to the ground clutching his wound.

The second man, seeing what had happened to his comrade, was much more cautious. Part of him wanted to run after witnessing such brutality, but at the same time he didn't want to be bested by a teenager. He hefted his crackling power staff in both hands and the two opponents circled one another warily.

He thrust the tip of his staff at Ron who evaded the blow with surprising grace. The young man next ducked under a hard, wild swing that threatened to set the henchman off balance. Had the blow made contact Ron would have been out of the fight instantly, but it was not meant to be. In response Ron stayed down low and swept the man's feet from under him. The henchman thudded onto his back while he still clutched the staff. He looked around to see where Ron was and grunted in pain when he realized that he was already upon him. Ron grappled with him for control of the staff, and the fact that he was atop the other man gave him leverage over the henchman's superior strength. He was able to bring the staff down upon the man's throat and began choking him with his own weapon.

Camille watched the conflict with a mixture of horror and awe, wondering how he could possibly defeat the large men with such ease. When she realized that he was strangling the fallen man she had to step in. She may have been a criminal, but she was a thief. She didn't condone doing this to another human being.

"Let him breathe!" she shouted to her partner.

Ron simply ignored her. He kept pressing down on the man's windpipe.

Camille sprinted over to where the two were struggling and grabbed hold of Ron's shoulder. In an instant he spun around instinctively and struck Camille's face with the back of his hand. Her head whipped aside from the blow and she staggered back a few steps. Only then did Ron realize what he had done.

He stood over the henchman who was gasping for air and looked down at him briefly to make sure he wouldn't get up any time soon. After that he turned to his partner.

"What do you think you're doing!" he yelled.

She balled her hands up into fists as her eyes penetrated him with seething rage.

"Why did you just hit me!" she yelled back with equal fury.

"Don't get involved in things that don't concern you! I had everything perfectly under control!"

"You were going to kill him!"

He shook his head bitterly as the two continued to stare at each other.

"Stupid girl. You don't know anything about this game. You're just a spoiled brat who lost her fortune and thinks she's a super villain."

She wanted to hit him for saying that. She wanted so badly to strike him across the face harder than she had ever hit anyone before. But she couldn't. She knew that calling him unstable would be an understatement. If he was capable of doing what he did to those henchmen, what could he do to her?

Camille's breathing was heavy as she struggled to think of a response to his words, be it verbal or physical. But as she stood there in thought Ron had already forgotten about the altercation and turned to Drakken. He grabbed the mad scientist by his lab coat and shook him violently.

"Where is the body of the Tempus Simia!"

"T-t-tempus Simia?" he stuttered.

"You'd better start listening really good. If you don't hand over the idol right now, I'll do to you what I did to your hired help. Only it will be a lot slower and more painful."

Drakken didn't want to admit it but he was terrified. He never could have imagined the sidekick being like this. But here it was. Ron had left him with little choice in the matter. He would just have to give in.

"Yes, fine. I'll give you the idol. Please just don't hurt me."

Ron's insane laughter returned in full force. It took several more seconds for him to calm down.

"Oh yes, I won't hurt you. You just give me what I want and we'll leave you in peace," he said as laughter slipped into his words.

He released Drakken who simply stood there for a few moments. He hadn't moved a step.

"What are you waiting for!"

In an instant Ron's world went black. He fell hard on the floor and laid there unmoving. Shego stood towering over him with glowing green fists.

"It takes a lot more than some little tranq mix to knock me out of the fight…" she said to his unconscious body.

She turned her attention to Camille who was standing there in stunned disbelief. The blonde had been too focused on what Ron and Drakken were doing to notice that Shego had stood up. By the time she had seen the villainess regain consciousness it had been too late. Part of her wondered whether or not she would have warned Ron even if she had the time to do so.

"And you," Shego said as she walked over to Camille. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I don't enjoy being betrayed. You're both going to pay for this."

"That's right!" Drakken said with renewed courage. "We don't like being played. We do the playing! Because we're the best at the game!"

Shego turned to him and shook her head sadly.

"No Dr. D. Just… just stop."

He didn't know what he had said to warrant that kind of reaction. Personally he thought it sounded pretty cool. But apparently Shego thought otherwise.

"And what are you going to do with me?" Camille asked.

A sly grin spread over Shego's face.

"I think I'm going to let you rot in one of our holding cells. Right next to the one Senor Senior Sr. is in. You two have a lot of catching up to do."

Camille was about to protest, but was cut off when the other woman grabber her arm and led her out of the room and to the detention area.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a mission of utmost importance.

Doomsday machines were harmless. Giant lasers were nothing. Covering Wisconsin with molten cheese was laughable. This was her best friend on the line here. Nothing could go wrong.

It was why this mission had to be handled the right way. Kim and Junior had first travelled to Ron's house. She knew he would most likely not be there, but she wanted to know what his current condition was like. Mrs. Stoppable did not know what was happening to her son. Kim wondered what he acted like around her when he was at home… if he was at home. It was Sunday after all, he had no obligation to be home at a certain hour like he would be on a school night. Sure, he was still a minor. But thanks to Camille being eighteen he did have an excuse to stay out all night… with her. The thought made Kim nauseous.

When she had spoken with his mother everything seemed to be fine. According to her nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Either he was better than she had thought he would be at concealing his insanity, or he just hadn't been home at all. She sincerely hoped it was the latter. The thought of him being around his innocent family in his current state sent chills through her body.

That left just one place he could be. It was the only logical place left. Camille's house.

The walk hadn't been far. Middleton was a good-sized city, but not huge. The teenagers who went to Middleton High School were all fairly close together. Nearly everyone worth reaching was within a mile of Kim's own home. That made Kim and Junior's trip easy enough.

The last time, the only time in fact, that Kim had been to this house was in the middle of the night. Back then she had had little appreciation for how secluded it was from any of the other houses in the city. It was by no means a mansion, but at the same time there wasn't another home close to it. It was the perfect spot for a person who valued their privacy. And knowing Camille's nature, it was perfect for the manipulative young woman.

Kim turned to Junior who looked unimpressed by the house. Of course he had seen much bigger and fancier places to live. He had in fact lived in one not too long ago. But it was gone now, reduced to rubble and ashes by the attack committed by Dr. Drakken. It was just another injustice due to the spoiled heiress. It didn't matter that the Seniors were villains as well. They had done nothing wrong that day, it had been an unprovoked and undeserved assault.

"Alright Junior, here's the plan. I'm going to grapple up to the window up there," she said pointing to one of the windows on the second story of the house. "I'm going to find and subdue them and then open the front door for you. You're in charge of the box," she said as she looked down at the precious object in his hands. "Under no circumstances can you let it fall or break. I don't care how safe and impact-proof Wade said it was, I don't want that thing touching the ground. Can you do that?"

Junior nodded purposefully. He looked more determined than he ever had in his life.

"Yes Kim, I can do this," he said with confidence filling every word. "You can count on me. We are partners after all. Despite what father said about the blue fox and yellow trout not being together, it turns out we have made a pretty good team."

There was a time where she had believed in animology. Those days had long since passed. But looking back on it, she did find it humorous that it stated that the yellow trout would be her perfect mate. As it turns out it was only partially accurate. A perfect mate? No. A perfect partner? Not even that. But a perfect… friend? Maybe. They had a long way to go before they could call themselves that. But circumstances had brought them together in the most unlikely of ways. They needed to help each other a lot more than they needed to fight. And neither had a problem with the partnership. Kim silently wondered what would happen when it was all finished. Would they go back to being enemies? She couldn't imagine either of them being completely comfortable if that were to be the case.

She aimed her grappling gun at Camille's roof and fired. In only seconds she was on her way to the top. She rested her legs on the windowsill while maintaining her grip on the modified hair dryer with her left hand. With her right she reached into a pocket and fished out her laser lipstick. It took only seconds for her to slice through the glass and gain entrance to the home.

Being here once before she knew the lay of the land. She carefully snuck around and kept her ears open for any sounds. There were none. No talking, no TV, nothing. It was eerily silent. She swept through the house searching room by room for her quarry. They were nowhere to be found. Once she had reached the living room she was startled to hear a soft thud on the ground. A hairless cat had jumped out from its hiding place and trotted up to Kim to inspect her. The cat began sniffing the ankles of her pants before rubbing its face against them. For a split second Kim thought about bending over to pet the friendly feline. The thought immediately vanished when she remembered her mission. But the mission was apparently a failure. They weren't here. No one was.

She sighed dejectedly as she went to the front door. Junior was waiting there as instructed. But rather than inviting him in she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. Her gave her a questioning look.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head in disappointment briefly before answering.

"They're not there. I don't know where they are…"

He didn't say a word in response. Instead he just frowned. There were no words that would comfort her at the moment. Unless…

"Can your computer friend not find him?"

Kim looked up in sudden shock. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of it? The answer hit her immediately.

The tracking chip wasn't exactly something she liked to remember. It was the source of so many problems recently so she had almost forced the memory from her mind. But it would work. All she had to do was call Wade and get a GPS location on the chip. And then they would find Ron.

"Junior you're a genius!" she exclaimed. Her choice of words surprised him as much as it did her. Clearly no one had ever uttered those words to him.

He beamed with pride at being complimented like that. It felt good to not be called a failure or stupid. He was really beginning to like hanging around with the redhead.

Kim brought her kimmunicator out from her pocket and got Wade on the screen.

"Wade, I need you to get a location on Ron right away!"

Not fazed by the lack of a greeting, Wade began typing at his keyboard. It took only a few seconds for him to find the information that they sought. A puzzled expression crossed his face when he did find it.

"Kim, you're not gonna like it."

"Why not?"

"He's in the middle of the Rocky Mountains."

Fear shot through her body when she realized what that had to mean.

"So he's with Drakken…" she said softly.

"That's the only explanation I can come up with."

"Okay. I've dealt with Drakken plenty of times. This will be no different. I need a ride right now. Is GJ available?"

He frowned when he heard those two letters. Kim didn't like the look of it.

"That's the thing… Global Justice told me that they weren't your personal taxi service. They won't be taking my calls for a while."

Kim mentally cursed upon hearing the news. Global Justice provided her with the fastest rides available. Anything else seemed like ancient technology compared to their hover jets.

"So who does that leave us with?"

"There are only a couple people near us who both owe you a favor and have a plane. I'll get on the phone with one of them. But just remember that it will be a lot slower than usual."

"I know. Thanks Wade."

She stuffed the kimmunicator back into her pocket before looking back at Junior.

"Okay, we seem to have some time to waste… Bueno Nacho?" she asked casually.

He thought about it for a few moments before replying.

"Only if they still have those salads. I simply cannot stand to have those greasy trans fats ruining my spectacular physique."

"Don't worry. They have salads."

"Wonderful. Then we will go to Bueno Nacho until our ride arrives."

The two wasted no time getting to the fast food restaurant. As they were walking to their destination Kim could only hope that her experience there would be better than the last time.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille was tossed carelessly into one of the small cells in the prisoner area of Dr. Drakken's lair. Before she could stand up again the door was slammed shut. There would be no escape any time soon.

She watched as Dr. Drakken was dragging the still unconscious Ron by his arms on the floor. It was taking a great deal of effort to bring the young man into his own cell. Shego watched him in amusement as he tried to turn the body so it would fit through the small cell door entrance.

"You know I pay you to do these kinds of things!" he barked at his employee.

"What's wrong? Not man enough to do it yourself?" she smirked.

"I am more than man enough! It would just be nice if you would have shown some professionalism and offered! That's all!"

"Okay Dr. D. Easy there. I didn't mean to get you all worked up like that."

"I am not worked up!"

His yelling only served to prove her right. It took a few seconds, but he eventually did bring Ron inside the third cell and shut the door. He walked to stand next to Shego.

The villainess was standing with folded arms as she stared at Camille. Both their faces were filled with venomous hatred.

"Next time, tell loser-boy there to use a stronger tranquilizer," Shego smiled. "I guess he forgot that I'm not a basic, average girl," she said as she ignited a fist. "I was only out for a couple minutes before my body was able to flush the drugs from my system."

"Whatever," Camille said uninterestedly as she blew a stand of hair out of her face.

"Don't feel so bad. Soon we'll be ruling the world. Maybe we'll give you and Stoppable important positions. I'm thinking court jesters. What do you think, Dr. D?"

"Yes, that will do just fine. Now tell me Camille, where is my monkey head!"

"I would say it's in your pants, but I honestly have my doubts…" Camille smirked.

"What!"

Drakken gripped the bars of the cell door and began trying to pry them apart. Of course they all knew he wouldn't be able to do anything. It was all just for show, proof of how angry he was.

Regardless of this, Shego put a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from the blonde.

"How about we have a time out?" she said sarcastically. "Maybe give you time to cool off. Then we can come back and get what we want."

He mumbled something under his breath before he turned and walked out of the room. Shego stood there a moment longer and looked back at Camille before following her boss.

Camille took a seat on the small bed in the room. She hadn't even remembered who was in the other cell next to hers. His voice stirred her from her thoughts.

"Camille? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Senior asked with genuine concern.

She turned her head to see the elderly man standing next to the bars that separated their cells. Like her own, Senior's gaze was penetrating and calculating. His icy blue eyes stared into her own. They were eyes that his own flesh and blood shared.

"Hello grandfather," she said indifferently.


	18. Family Ties

Authors Note: A big thank you again to everyone who cares about this story. And thanks to Brandon for beta reading. Your commentary is hilarious as always.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_A family without a black sheep is not a typical family."_

_~Heinrich Böll_

XXXXXXXXXX

Grandfather.

How he hated being called that word.

It was so cold and indifferent. It was impersonal; something that he felt a family member shouldn't call him. Grandpa, gramps, anything would be better than grandfather. Grandparents were supposed to spoil their grandkids. At least that was the way Senior understood it. The parents were there to raise and discipline their children, while they were there to sneak them candy and all kinds of treats. But things had not turned out that way for their family.

He figured she had used the word on purpose. She did after all say that she hated him. Since she had first told him that the day he and his son had been kidnapped by Dr. Drakken, he had wondered why she would say such a thing. How could she hate a man she had never even met? Sure, he was a super villain. He may have done tremendous damage to the Billionaire's Club. But did even that warrant hatred from his own granddaughter?

Camille's mother, Gale Leon, had not always carried that surname. She had been born Gale Senior several decades ago. In time she had grown up and found what at the time she believed to be true love. She had married into the wealthy Leon family. After all, a man had to be worthy of marrying someone as rich as the daughter of Senor Senior Sr. While not nearly as well off as Senior, Mr. Leon was found to be a suitable husband for her. Those were much happier times.

Eventually Senor Senior Sr. was divorced. For many years he lived alone until one day he grew tired of it. He was rich after all, he deserved to enjoy the benefits that came with it. He had found a very attractive, young woman. She wasn't the brightest woman around, and he was fairly certain that large areas of her were "fake", but he didn't care. She made him happy. He had been in his late forties at the time, while she was in her mid twenties. She bore him a son, whom he named after himself. It didn't take long after his birth for her to run off with a large sum of money awarded to her by the courts. The gold digger had struck the jackpot.

A few years later he learned that his daughter had given birth. But he was a busy man at the time and could not be bothered to leave his island to visit them. He was charged with raising Junior himself. It was an arduous task. Living alone on his private island with a baby to take care of, he never had time to see his much older daughter as Camille grew older. He had never even seen his granddaughter in person until a few days ago. He knew of her existence when she had been born and had sent a large sum of money to her in a trust fund. By the time he had reached the age to retire and had time to visit his family, he had grown ashamed of his neglect. He knew his daughter resented him because of it. He could not bring himself to face them. He was content to ignore the issue, as to not bring pain to not only himself, but to them as well.

More recently he had seen many of Camille's exploits on TV. He felt a different shame to know that one of his own family members had grown up to be like that. But was that really her? Part of him doubted that how she acted on TV was genuine. Her insidious plots to frame him and then capture him only supported his theory. It was… pure evil.

"Camille, why are you in that cell?" Senior asked. "I thought you were working with Dr. Drakken and Shego."

She turned away from him before she spoke. She didn't want to bring herself to look into those eyes as she explained her defeat.

"Yeah? Well things are different now. I had my own plan in mind. And thanks to Ron it failed."

Senior looked past her at the unconscious body of Ron in the third jail cell. His attention was soon returned to his granddaughter.

"I see. What did you plan on doing?"

"Like it matters now. It's all ruined. Just like everything else in my life."

"What? Why would you say such a thing?"

She shot a venomous look at him.

"You know how messed up my family is. Oh right, you don't. You never bothered to care about anything else once your _son_ was born," she said spitefully.

"You must understand-"

"Understand what? How he was more important than the rest of your family?"

"Of course not. If you would just let me explain myself I think you could understand."

She let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Sure, go ahead. Explain, _grandfather_."

There was that word again. Her tone changed when she said it. He was sure she was using it to try to hurt him.

"As Junior was growing up, I realized that he… how can I put this… needed a bit of extra assistance. His mother was not there to care for him. I was alone in that endeavor."

"Yeah, and my dad was never around either. I was stuck with my mom who decided that every day was a good day to get wasted and screw the newest pool boy. Your daughter. How does that make you feel?"

Those words stung. Hearing about his own daughter sinking to that level sent pain shooting through his heart like few other things could. He knew that he hadn't been a perfect father once she had gotten married. And he knew that he had not been a perfect grandparent. But he had done his best to raise his son.

"You misunderstand me, Camille. I did not tell you that to take blame off of myself. I said it because Junior… well, Junior was not always the most capable of children. He lacked certain things, and was therefore in need of my assistance much more than most children."

"What? Are you saying that he's stupid or something?"

Senior's expression turned dark. It was a rare sight for anyone to see.

"Dot not ever speak of family like that again," he snapped. "You have no reason to harbor a grudge against him. He has done nothing to harm you."

"Whatever," she said nonchalantly.

"As I was saying," he continued. "Junior needed my help as he grew older. And he still does. The boy is lazy, he is unfocused. I have done everything in my power to try to help him, I even hired Shego to tutor him not too long ago. But he is content to simply lie around all day under a tanning lamp reading the latest teen gossip magazines."

Camille didn't know much about her uncle. It seemed hard to believe that Junior, a man in his early twenties, could be her uncle. But like she had said, her family was messed up.

"So that means you could just forget about us?"

"Forget about you? Of course not. When you were born I gave you a very large sum of money in a trust fund. In fact I stored it at the…"

Senior stopped speaking before he could say the words "Billionaire's Club". He knew that it was another sensitive subject with her. It was what she had yelled at him about the day he was captured.

"And now it's gone," she smiled at the irony. "How does it feel to ruin your daughter's life?"

He chose not to answer the question. It was another reason she hated him. His attack had caused great damage to the Leon family fortune.

They didn't know where to go from there. The intensity of their argument cooled down a bit once everything was out in the open, once the Billionaire's Club was brought up. For a few seconds there was an uncomfortable silence. Senior decided to break it.

"When was the last time you dyed your hair?" he wondered.

Camille unconsciously brought her finger tips to the top of her head.

"I don't know. Why?"

"I can see the black roots beginning to show. It is obvious to me that blonde is not your natural color."

It was the truth. Her bleached blonde hair was another part of her act. The stereotype was that blondes were stupid. So while she acted like a fool on national television and in the tabloids she made sure to make it even more believable.

Senor Senior Sr.'s ethnicity was Spanish. It was obvious in not only his name, but his accent and darker skin as well. The Leon family had also come from Spain long ago. Though they had lived in America for many generations they could still trace their roots back to the province of Leon, Spain. Black hair was a part of Camille's family as was her darker skin.

Most girls were envious of her perfect tan. What they didn't know was that it didn't take much to achieve her beauty. Her heritage ensured that her skin was naturally a bit darker than most people suspected it would be. The blonde hair only made it seem more like she had worked hard to obtain her tan. Of course she would never tell people this. She enjoyed making the other girls jealous of her.

"I've been busy lately," she said as an excuse.

"I hate to see you dye your hair like this. You cannot hide who you are, neither with your hair nor your… faces," he said uncomfortably.

Who was she? It was a question that had been plaguing her for years now. She figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him.

"You think you have me figured out? Then who am I?"

He offered her a genuine smile.

"Though I may not have witnessed you grow up, I have seen more in you these past few days than I ever could have imagined. What you did to me, to Junior, to everyone in this scheme of yours, was simply evil."

Evil? It was not the answer she had been expecting. Nor was it one that she liked to hear.

"I'm not evil. I'm not doing any of this out of enjoyment. Well, except for letting you rot in this cell ever since we blew up your mansion."

That was still a sore subject for him. But it only served to underline his point.

"Indeed. Revenge is a very sinister act to commit. Would you not agree?"

Camille didn't know why he kept insisting that she was evil. But she decided that he at least had a point. Her quest for vengeance probably could be seen as malevolent.

"What's your point?"

"My point is that I need an heir for my evil empire."

Again, a response she never would have imagined him saying. And again it perked her interest.

"What are you talking about?"

"I love my son dearly, but I know in my heart that he is not true super villain material. It is not the path he wishes to take, and as a loving father I cannot force it upon him any longer."

He sighed before he continued speaking.

"Camille, I am old. I will be turning seventy next year. And though the past few years of playing this villainous game have been fun, I know that I will not get to enjoy it for long. I have tried to teach Junior about what it takes to be evil, how to create and execute a villainous plan, even how to do a villainous laugh. But my boy simply does not learn. You have already proven to be a better villain than he will ever be. I want you, my granddaughter, to be the heir to my evil legacy. The idea first came to me when I was attempting to blackmail you when I learned of your villainous secret. Joining me was the goal of that blackmail."

She was stunned. But more than that, she was confused. She hated the man. She had shown it both in words and actions. And yet all he did in return was show her love and understanding. But this, this was the biggest shock of all. He wanted to make her the successor to his "evil empire" as he had put it. She didn't know what to think.

"No."

This time it was Senior who reeled from an unexpected reply.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I'm not evil. I don't want to conquer the world. I just want-"

She stopped herself before she revealed something about herself. She had learned that being open with others only invited pain.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing."

"You obviously want something. You yourself said that you had a plan with Ron Stoppable. There must be some reason you are here today, some reason you have been working with Dr. Drakken. What do you want?"

She glared at him briefly before turning away again.

"What I want you can't provide for me. No one can."

"You are family, Camille. It hurts me to see you this way. It hurts more than when I see you acting like a fool on television. I know that cannot be the real you. This conversation has only proven my beliefs. When we get out of here you should come with me. I know that I cannot make up for not being with you and your mother these past twenty years, but I can try to start now. If you would only give me a chance."

Camille stared down at the floor as she sat on her bed. Part of her wanted to accept his offer. With it would come money. Money was one reason she joined the world of super villains. And maybe, just maybe, he could provide other things, things she lacked when she had grown up. Family was obviously a very important thing to him. But at the same time opening yourself up made you vulnerable. And when you were vulnerable you got hurt.

Before she could reach a decision she heard movement from the other cell next to her.

Ron's eyes had opened and his body began to stir. It took a few moments but eventually he sat up. His eyes blinked hard as he tried to focus on the shapes in front of him.

"Where am I?" he asked to no one in particular.

Camille didn't answer. She hadn't forgotten what he had said to her before they had been captured. Senior did so instead.

"You are currently a prisoner in Dr. Drakken's lair," he said calmly.

Ron stood up and grasped the bars that confined him to his small prison. He tried in vain to pry them apart.

"Yes, yes we are," he said happily.

Senior didn't understand how he could sound so happy about being stuck in a prison cell. But Camille could take a guess as to why. Insanity did weird things to a person.

"Then we'll just have to escape," he continued.

How he planned on pulling that off, neither of the other two villains knew.

"Do not bother, there is no escape from this place without the assistance of Kim Possible," Senior told him.

The mention of Kim's name prompted an outburst of laughter from Ron. It was the same laugh from before when they were talking to Drakken and Shego. It was a wild, psychotic cackle.

"What is so funny?"

"Kim… Possible…" Ron said the best he could through his laughter.

Camille didn't comment. There was no use trying to understand the logic of a madman.

"I am afraid I do not understand the humor in Kim Possible. But it is good that you are awake. They will be serving dinner soon."

The mention of food made Ron's laughing cease. It was the only aspect of him that remained unchanged in his new condition. He still loved to eat.

"Food?" he asked. "What do they serve?"

"Today is Sunday, so they will be serving steak and a baked potato."

Ron's eye twitched as he looked at Senior, searching for any truth in his words.

"Steak?" he asked hopefully.

"No, of course not," Senior said. "We are prisoners. They do not serve such fine cuisine to the likes of us. No, the best we can hope for is a mysterious meat-like substance and mashed potatoes. That is what it was last Sunday."

Camille wanted to laugh, had the current situation not been so dire. Even in Drakken's lair Ron couldn't escape mystery meat.

As if on cue a pair of henchmen entered the room carrying plates of food. The set the three plates on the floor and pushed them underneath the bars of the cells.

"Eat up," one of them said. "We wouldn't want to have our honored guests starve."

The two henchmen chuckled as they exited the room.

"Way to go Bob," the second said.

Camille looked down at her mystery meat and mashed potatoes. It was perhaps the most unappealing meal she had ever seen in her life. But looking off to her left she saw Senior enjoying it.

A few minutes later Dr. Drakken and Shego returned to the room. They headed straight for Ron's cell. Drakken wasted no time with his questions.

"Now you will tell me, buffoon. Where is the Tempus Simia idol's head?"

Ron laughed. It was becoming old.

He staggered backwards into the wall before slumping down to the floor, his laughter continuing all the while. And it continued as he sat on the floor, uncaring about the four people staring at him.

"What's wrong with him?" Drakken asked Camille.

"Everything," she said cryptically.

Drakken was beginning to get frustrated now. He stomped up next to the bars and grabbed hold of them.

"Listen to me, sidekick!" he yelled. "You will tell me what I want to know! Or you will suffer the consequences."

Those words brought Ron out of his insane stupor. But not for the reason Drakken thought.

"I won't be here for long," he said.

Drakken squinted his eyes in confusion.

"Have you gone completely insane? You are trapped inside of this lair. You are at my mercy."

"Kim Possible will be here soon," Ron said knowingly.

Drakken's eyes widened at the mention of his arch nemesis.

"And just how do you know that?"

"Because she has a tracking chip inside me. She knows exactly where I am."

Drakken turned to Shego for some kind of explanation.

"Don't look at me. How would I know?" she said.

He next turned to Camille.

"Does she?"

More confusion crossed Camille's mind. Shego claimed she didn't know. But Shego was the one who had given her the letter that said that Kim had put a tracking chip inside Ron. This didn't make sense. Why would she lie to Drakken about it?

"Yeah. She does," she admitted.

Fear gripped Drakken's heart when he realized what it meant. It meant that Kim would be coming to rescue her best friend and sidekick.

"Then we're going to get it out of you. And then flush it down the toilet!"

Three sets of eyes looked at him weirdly. Ron on the other hand resumed his laughter.

"Because… that's what they do in the movies!" Drakken said in his defense. "They flush it down the toilet and it goes through the sewers so it looks like the person is somewhere else."

It made sense. But it didn't take away from the weirdness of what he had said.

"Okay Dr. D. And how do you plan on removing it?" Shego asked.

"With a very sharp knife of course," he smiled.

Camille's eyes widened as she looked over at Ron. If he was afraid he didn't show it. There was a stupid grin plastered to his face as he continued shaking his head and laughing.

"Of course we can't operate on him if he's like this. Shego, bring me my own tranquilizer. I'll show this fool what kind of drug a genius of my caliber uses."

Shego rolled her eyes and left the room to retrieve the item that Drakken sought. While she was gone no one attempted to start a conversation. Senior finished his dinner while Camille poked around at her food. She took a few bites of the mashed potatoes, but found them to be as disgusting as they looked. Ron ate nothing.

When Shego returned she handed a sleek looking gun to her employer. It was by far better looking than the converted paintball gun that Ron had used. He pointed it through the bars at the young man.

"Leave my food. I'll be hungry when I get back," he said in a rare moment of clarity.

"Fine. It makes little difference to me if you want your slop warm or cold," Drakken said. "This won't take long, not that you'll be awake for any of it."

He fired a dart into Ron's chest. Just seconds later he slumped over to his side, the tranquilizer having taken its effect very efficiently. Shego opened the door and checked to see if he was truly unconscious. When she was sure that he was, she lifted him up and tossed him over her shoulder.

No one said a word as the trio left the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

No one had entered the room for the past hour. She was agonizingly alone the entire time with Senior. At times he attempted to start a conversation, but she did little to participate in it. Most of what caught her interest, the stuff she did pay attention to, was about her inheriting the role of villain. His fortune of course would be left to his son, but clearly Junior had little interest in carrying on his newly found family legacy. If Senior wanted a competent heir, it would not be his son. His granddaughter was his best bet.

She found herself trying not to care about his words. She didn't like him. And opening up to him was the first step to forgiving him. And that was something she did not want to do. She hated forgiving people. It was much better, not to mention a lot more fun, to prolong their torment and suffering by exacting vengeance upon them. It was why she had had his island manor destroyed. It was why he had been sitting in Drakken's lair for so many days. It was one of the reasons she had come back with Ron, to acquire him so she could personally make him suffer. The fact that he was so gentlemanly and calm was not helping matters. How could you be angry at a person when they didn't fight back?

So was thankful when she heard the door whoosh open and saw Ron being dragged back into the room. At this point she never would have thought that she would be thankful to see her psychotic boyfriend. She caught herself thinking that word. Boyfriend. It was the second time they had been a couple. And neither of the times was real. The first time he had been tricked and seduced into her clutches. He had been real, but she had not been. And the second time she had been real, but had not been. It was just like the voice in her head had told her, the one that had taken Bonnie's visage. What they had was not anything close to real affection for each other. It was what she claimed she wanted. Emotions only ruined things. Without emotions you couldn't get hurt. She hated it when the voices were right.

Shego tossed him into his cell. He was awake, but still woozy. He simply laid there with his eyes struggling to focus on anything. There was a bloody piece of gauze taped to the back of his neck. Shego slammed the door shut and turned to Camille.

"What do you know, he really did have a chip," she shrugged. "I have no idea why he bothered to tell us. He really overplayed his hand. Now Kimmie can't come rescue him."

It just occurred to Camille that she was right. She shouldn't have backed up Ron's story. She felt incredibly stupid at the moment. Their best chance to escape was gone now. But she couldn't beat herself up over it. What was done was done. She could do nothing to change that.

"By the way, what's your problem? Why did you change the plan?"

The blonde glared up at her captor.

"Because I've been following my own plan for a long time now. One that didn't involve idiots like you and Drakken."

The insult earned a smile from the villainess.

"Idiots, huh? You seem to be the one sitting in a cell forced to eat whatever crap we decide to feed you. Seems like Senior here already finished his."

"Whatever."

" 'Whatever'," Shego said mockingly. "Honestly sometimes I do think you're as stupid as you look on TV.

"Yeah, well I'd say you're pretty stupid for unleashing the only thing in this world that you're afraid of," she said as she glanced down at Ron.

Shego scowled when she heard Camille say she was afraid of Ron.

"I didn't do anything. I have no idea what you're even talking about. And apparently you don't either."

Camille didn't take her eyes off of Ron when she replied.

"I'm afraid I do."

Shego knew what she meant by that. Even though she would never admit to being frightened when Ron was previously evil, she knew that Camille knew the truth. They had experienced the same thing.

"I'll be back when Stoppable regains his senses. We still need to get the location of the… monkey head from him," she said with noticeable hesitation.

Shego sighed and left the room, leaving the three prisoners there with a single red-clad henchman to guard them. He sat in a chair next to the door with a magazine in his hands. The man didn't particularly care for about any of the villains who were imprisoned. They had no powers that could harm him, nor could they do anything to break through the bars. As far as he was concerned this was an easy assignment.

Ron leaned his head against the wall as he continued to recover his senses. After a few moments a demented grin spread across his face. A moment later he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Camille and Senior watched in horror as he convulsed on the ground, flopping like a fish out of water. White foam was seeping through his lips. She jumped from her bed and ran next to the bars that separated them.

"Ron?" Camille gasped. "Ron what's going on?"

He didn't answer. He simply continued shaking, oblivious to anything going on around him.

"Say something Ron!"

There was no response. There were only the painful, erratic movements of his body and limbs on the cold floor.

She moved over to the side of her cell closest to the guard. He had lowered the magazine from his face and was watching the events that were unfolding.

"Hey what's going on over there?" he called out.

"Get help! We need a doctor!"

He stood and walked over to the cells. He looked down at Ron.

"We have Dr. Drakken," he said confidently.

"No you idiot!" she yelled. "A real doctor! A medical one!"

"Oh. One of our guys was a trained paramedic before he found his evil calling. I still remember the day he-"

"Does it look like I care about his life story? Just go get him!"

The henchman gave one last look at Ron. His movements were getting worse. A puddle of white liquid was growing under his face. He rushed out of the room to get the man in question.

Camille moved back next to Ron and knelt down beside him. It had to be an effect of the attitudinator. Or the tranquilizer. She didn't know which, but something was causing a terrible reaction in his body. One didn't begin convulsing and foaming at the mouth for no reason.

Tense minutes passed by as Ron's body began to still. She didn't know if that was good or bad. It would be good if whatever was occurring had passed. It would be bad if it had gotten to a far worse stage than what had just been happening. She looked up when she heard the door open again.

Ron's convulsions started up again as the guard brought in a couple of new henchmen. One carried a small white bag marked with the Red Cross symbol on it. The other carried a small, lightweight stretcher. They set their equipment down on the floor before they approached the prison cells.

"What seems to be the problem here?" one of them asked.

"Are you stupid? Look at him!" Camille shouted.

They looked down as they saw white liquid continue to slowly bubble and seep from his mouth. His shaking was as violent as when it had started.

"That doesn't look right," a man said.

Camille was getting upset now. Did he feel smart for making such an obvious statement?

"Which one of you is the paramedic?"

"That would be me," the same man said.

"You have to do something! I think he's having some kind of reaction to either the tranquilizer or attitudinator."

"Oh. That certainly isn't good."

"Duh! Open the damn door and help him!"

The paramedic henchman turned to the two others and nodded. The guard produced a key and opened Ron's cell. The three entered it, bringing their equipment with them.

The guard emitted a cry of pain as Ron sank his teeth into his meaty hamstring. The blood blended into his red uniform, but the full extent of the damage was seen in Ron's teeth and lips. Blood dribbled down his chin as he stood up.

Now that the biggest man was for the moment incapacitated the remaining two were easy prey. Ron rammed his fist into the stomach of the smaller of the remaining two, the paramedic. The man doubled over in pain and struggled to take a breath as Ron pushed him out of his way. He then wrapped his hands around the throat of the third man, the one who had carried in the small stretcher.

The two grappled and struggled with each other, a look of fear evident on the henchman's face as he stared into Ron's deranged eyes. Ron soon gained the upper hand and sent them both crashing to the floor, his hands still gripping tightly around his opponent's throat.

Ron let out a grunt as the first wounded henchman slammed his fist into the side of his head. He tumbled off of the other henchman landing hard on his side. His head still slightly dazed, he began crawling out of the cell on his hands and knees. The henchman's wounded leg made it slow to pursue the escaping young man, but eventually caught up with him outside of the cell.

He grabbed hold of Ron's leg, who was still down on all fours. He pulled the leg in an attempt to have Ron fall onto his stomach. He was successful, but didn't anticipate Ron rolling onto his back. Ron brought his captive leg close to his chest, pulling the henchman down with him. With his free leg Ron kicked the man in his chest as hard as he could, knocking the henchman back several feet into the steel bars of the prison cells.

The former sidekick stood up as quickly as he could; ready to face off again with his foe. He looked down at the floor underneath the man and saw a small pool of blood forming where he stood. It was his weakness.

Ron danced around to the side of his weakened leg and lunged at the wound. A swift kick brought the henchman down to a knee as he cried out from the blow. A fist plowed into his head that sent him falling on his side. Ron looked up at the other two men who were still struggling to catch their breath in his former cell. He smiled a triumphant grin as he began laughing hysterically.

He grabbed and dragged the wounded man inside the confined area, and grabbed hold of the third man who had brought in the stretcher. After forcing him outside he shut the door.

"You're going to get me out of here," he told the uninjured henchman.

"W-w-what?" he stammered.

"You know how to fly one of Drakken's hover jets? I sincerely hope for your sake that you say 'yes'."

"Yes! Yes I can fly it!"

"Good…"

Ron turned and looked at the wide-eyed Camille. She was speechless by the events that had just taken place. The keys to the prison doors were lying on the ground. He snatched them up in his palm.

"Tell me sidekick, what does your freedom mean to you?"

She gave him a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can let you join in my escape. Or I can let you rot in here until Kim Possible comes here sometime in the future to stop Drakken's next evil plot. Which do you want?"

"I want to get out. Why wouldn't I?"

He sneered at her. He didn't like her tone.

"Beg for it."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"Beg for your freedom, and I'll let you out."

"Screw you, Ron. I'm not begging for anything."

"Been there, done that," he smiled.

She knew what he meant by that. It made her blood boil.

"Listen to me you psychotic freak, I'm your partner. Get me out of this cell right now!"

He walked over to her and pressed his face in between the bars as far as it would go.

"You've got spunk," he said with a wide-eyed grin. As quickly as the grin had appeared it vanished and turned into a hateful frown. "I hate spunk."

"We have to get out of here fast. Drakken and Shego could come back any minute. Please Ron, let me out," she pleaded.

It may not have been begging, but it was good enough.

"Fine," he pouted. "You're no fun at all."

He used the keys to unlock her door. After he had stepped away the door swung open and she strode out. She glared hatefully into his eyes.

"How dare you think that you can make someone like me beg," she growled.

He ignored her and turned to look at Senior.

"What do you think we should do with him?"

Camille was torn. On one hand she wanted to personally torture him. On the other they simply had no way, no time to make their escape with an old man slowing them down. Unless…

No. He would sit in here and languish in Drakken's prison. But…

"Leave him," she said at last. "He means nothing to me."

Ron nodded.

"You two can never escape," the captured henchman protested. "They'll know something's up with you two walking around freely."

Camille looked at him. He was right.

"So true," she said as she used her powers to morph into a new body. The henchman watched in terror as the beautiful teenage girl became someone completely unlike her. Her thin, attractive form was replaced by a slightly overweight, red jumpsuit wearing henchman. "But I think that two of Drakken's men escorting Ron to their employer to confess the location of the Tempus Simia's head will be just fine."

The henchman swallowed hard. He realized that she was probably correct. He opened his mouth to object but was cut off before he got a word out.

"If you try to warn anyone about what's really going on, I will make sure you experience agony before we are recaptured," Ron warned him. "Are we clear?" he grinned.

The henchman nodded quickly.

"Good. Let's go."

Ron tossed the keys to the floor and exited the room. The henchman followed after him, leaving Camille alone in the detention area. She looked down forlornly at the set of keys, and then back up at Senior. She knew that if she left him here there would be little chance of him ever getting out. She saw the food he ate. She knew the cold, cramped conditions he endured. She reached down to pick up the keys and tossed them next to the bars of his cell.

"I still hate you," she told him. "I'd just rather get my revenge personally instead of letting you sit in here for the rest of your life. That would be going too easy on you."

Without waiting for a reply she stormed out of the room to catch up with Ron and the henchman. Senior smiled after she left.

XXXXXXXXXX

The lair was eerily quiet. Most of the staff of henchmen was still under the effects of Ron's homemade tranquilizer elixir. The very few who had not been present when he had attacked were now imprisoned in their own lair. Except this one. While he appeared to be in control of the situation, he, along with Ron and Camille, knew that the exact opposite was true. He was at their mercy. He would either obey their commands, or as Ron had said, would suffer greatly. After seeing Kim Possible's sidekick tear through the flesh of one of his comrades, the henchman believed him.

As they strode through the halls they passed by a bathroom. A toolbox was next to the door. Apparently something in there was in need of repairs. He knelt down beside the box and because searching through it. Eventually he produced a rather large, heavy wrench. He stood and handed it to Camille.

"For Shego," he said, his intent obvious.

Camille didn't voice a reply. She merely nodded.

They resumed their positions, with Ron in front being flanked on either side by the two "henchmen". Eventually they reached the main room that Dr. Drakken and Shego sat alone in. Seeing the three of them enter caused them both to stand.

"What's going on here?" Drakken asked.

Camille elbowed the captive henchman in the ribs. He stood up straighter as he spoke.

"Dr. Drakken, sir. The prisoner said he would like to confess the information you want."

The mad scientist's face brightened as his sneering grin lit up the room.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed as he stepped toward his prisoner. "It's good to see that the buffoon has a brain in his head after all."

Camille stepped away from him, her arm clenched around the other henchman's arm. Dr. Drakken nodded in approval. He was happy to have henchmen that knew their place. By the look of the blood that covered his mouth, the henchmen had roughed him up a bit before bringing him. And right now was his time to shine, his time to extract the valuable information from Ron. And he would do so by any means necessary.

"So tell me, where is the head of the Tempus Simia idol?"

Ron's eyes went wide as he grinned, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Drool built up on the tip until it slowly began dribbling to the floor, a cocktail of his own saliva and someone else's blood.

"What… the…?" Drakken said.

Ron giggled softly before erupting in full-blown laughter. His tongue writhed and wiggled as if it were a snake slithering after its prey. That along with his blood-stained teeth and mouth made him more intimidating as he should have been.

He pounced upon Drakken like a ravenous mad dog, the very animal he portrayed as a mascot. He had certainly displayed enough of its characteristics over the past few minutes. He pinned Drakken to the ground and rained blow after blow upon him. The blue-skinned man shielded his face with his arms the best he could, so Ron moved to focus on his midsection instead. He only had a few seconds to enjoy his position of dominance before Shego grabbed hold of him.

The two of them rolling on the ground, each of them struggling to gain the upper hand on the other. Ron had Shego by her wrists doing everything he could do to keep her fists away from him. He gritted his bloody teeth as he saw her hands ignite with emerald energy. The fight had just gotten much more serious.

He was about to scream out an order when he heard a sickening thud from above him. Shego's flames were extinguished as her body collapsed on top of him. Looking up he saw a henchman standing over them with a wrench in his hands. He knew that it was Camille.

He pushed the unconscious woman off of him and stood up. The same stupid grin as before was plastered on his face. He said nothing to thank her as he moved to Drakken.

"Now, doctor," he whispered. "Tell me where the Tempus Simia is."

Drakken still couldn't believe what he had just seen. His henchmen had betrayed him. And then one had knocked Shego out with a heavy, steel wrench. The other just stood there doing nothing.

"But-"

"Do you want to share the same fate as her?" he said pointing to the fallen villainess.

"No… I'll show you."

He walked over to a large safe on the other side of the room. Ron followed him as he turned to Camille and the henchman.

"You two, come," he ordered.

The four of them approached the safe. Drakken turned the knob several times to gain access to the solid steel case. He opened it to reveal the stone monkey statue inside.

"Here," Drakken grunted angrily. "Here's the stupid statue. Are you happy?"

"For now…"

Ron snatched it from his hands and turned to the henchman.

"Now you will fly us out of here. Got it?"

The man nodded silently. As they walked away, Camille morphed back into her natural form.

Terror seized Drakken's heart as the person who he thought to be a henchman began to change before his very eyes. They widened as the man revealed his true identity. The out of shape man's body was replaced with a slender, attractive female form. Drakken had never seen Camille transform right in front of him. It was frightening to witness when you weren't expecting it.

"What… what are you…?" he asked with fear-laced words.

"What am I?" she repeated aloud, considering the question for a moment. A grin spread across her face as she looked to the floor and shook her head slightly. She then looked up and gazed at Drakken with her icy blue eyes. "I'm a total bitch."

She struck him across the face with the back of her fist. He yelped in pain as he fell to his knees. She didn't have the strength to render someone unconscious like Ron did, but it had served its purpose. He had been standing in the way of the safe. She reached into it and grabbed the Tiffany Yellow Diamond. She had wanted to wear the diamond around her neck from the moment she first saw it at the museum, the night she had posed as Kim Possible in order to steal it for Dr. Drakken in the first place.

She held it delicately in her fingers as she inspected the marvelous gem. She knew that only a young woman of her elegance and beauty could ever do the diamond justice. It deserved to be hers. She was righting a terrible wrong by taking it.

A smirk graced her lips as she put it in her pocket and followed Ron and the other henchman out of the room to the hanger.

As she left she didn't see a pair of blue eyes peer from around a corner, a proud smile on display watching every step she took.

XXXXXXXXXX

They had been en route back to Middleton for several minutes before Camille gathered the resolve to speak to her partner. This mission had revealed the true extent of not only his madness, but his evil potential as well. It appeared that they went hand in hand. And if that was the case she did not want either of them. She wanted…

"Do you mind telling me what the heck happened in there?" she asked him.

Ron stared down at the idol as he spoke. His voice was unusually monotone.

"Mashed potatoes," was all he said.

"What?"

"I used the mashed potatoes to make them think something was wrong with me."

"Oh. That's why you told them to leave your food?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"Consider this partnership over," he said without provocation.

Camille should have felt relief hearing those words. But instead some part of her felt enraged and humiliated. This was the second time he was dumping her.

"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief.

"I have what I want. And you have been nothing but an annoyance today. You reached the high point of your usefulness to me that one special night we shared. We're done now."

She was furious that he had brought that night up. She felt cheap, used. It was just another instance of someone hurting her because she had let herself be vulnerable in front of them. She didn't care how twisted and insane he was. She struck him as hard as she could.

He made no sound indicating he felt pain. Instead he just laughed. He had laughed so much this day, it was beginning to take its toll on her nerves. Camille hated his evil laugh. She hated that depraved, psychotic cackle. Shego had been right. It was incredibly annoying.

"Don't feel so bad. One day when I'm ruling the world maybe I'll remember you. I'll remember you as the pathetic, worthless person I've learned that you are," he said as he stood up. He strapped a parachute pack to himself before moving next to the side door of the hover jet. "Now if you'll excuse me, this is my stop."

Ron slammed his fist on a button that opened the door. Wind whipped into the passenger's section of the craft as he jumped out with his prize.

Camille struggled against the wind as she tried to close the door. Eventually though she did and breathed a sigh of relief as she sat back down.

By now the henchman realized what had happened. Without Ron there to threaten him he quickly turned the hover jet around to return to Drakken's lair. Camille had one choice if she didn't want to return to the madman's clutches.

Any doubt she had about Kim's words had long since been cast out of her mind. Her ex-partner, her ex-boyfriend of two occasions, the only friend who had ever liked her for her, was going to die. There was only one thing left that she could do for him.

She had never jumped out of a plane before. Her heart was pounding as she slipped a parachute pack onto her back. She wanted so badly not to jump. But there was no alternative.

Camille took a deep breath as she opened the door and cast herself into the setting sun.


	19. Enemy Mine

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone who's reading and reviewing. And thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for the chapter title. It's a lot better than the one I originally came up with.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."_

_~Michael Corleone_

XXXXXXXXXX

This… was not good. There was just no other way to describe it.

The Supreme One had been living in luxury since she had awoken in this twisted, ever-changing timeline. But what had just happened was threatening to ruin everything she had worked for. Everything she had worked for, in reality, for the past twenty years. If those fools didn't play their parts properly she would never regain what she had lost.

Having knowledge of the security codes to Dr. Drakken's lair did more than just allow her unrestricted access to it. It also allowed her to tap into the security footage. And what she saw was simply infuriating.

Her pawn, Camille, apparently had a mind of her own. It was something she would have never predicted. Apparently the young woman had plans of her own, plans that didn't involve handing the Tempus Simia over to this universes Shego. But that was only the start. Camille alone may have been easy enough to tame. Ron on the other hand…

The Supreme One thought she knew what he would attempt with his newly found freedom. She knew that the last time he had been turned evil his ultimate goal had been to acquire the world's supply of nacos. He had built the typical super villain type doomsday machines, the kind that Drakken would have thought of. But this time he was acting differently. At first he had only wanted to do petty damage to Kim for what she had done to him. And that would have been fine. That was why she had unleashed him after all. He was supposed to be the ultimate distraction for Kim while the Supreme One went about her business. But in the past few days he had changed his game. Now he was after the Tempus Simia. And worse still, he now had both pieces of it.

She wondered about the complexities of this universe and why things were so different from what she had predicted. At first things had been going great. Everything was happening as she thought it would. And while she knew that unleashing an X-factor like Camille into the mix would drastically change things, she never thought that it would turn Ron into an actual threat to her plans. She knew she had to act now, or things would be ruined forever.

After she had used the attitudinator on Ron she had taken her talents to Miami for a brief vacation. Spending time on the private beaches and being pampered in the luxurious spas of South Beach would give her time to clear her head and consider what she would do when she regained her iron grip on the world. But after checking the security footage only hours earlier she realized that things had begun to go horribly wrong. So she had hopped on the first plane she could get to Middleton. She may not have known where Ron would be, but she at least knew where his ultimate destination was. And that meant that Drakken and Shego had to go there as well.

She would slip into the lair and leave a note telling them to follow Ron to the Temple of the Tempus Simia in central Africa. After doing so she would immediately go there as well. She was used to having nothing but time on her hands. For the first time in twenty years she knew the fear of having a time table.

XXXXXXXXXX

The dull humming of propellers filled the silent cabin. The old propeller plane wasn't the fastest ride these days, but it was all she had. Global Justice had been unavailable to her for this. They couldn't have chosen a worse time. They didn't know what was at stake. They didn't know who was at stake. She could only hope they would never have to find out.

Kim sighed impatiently. If she had been on one of the fast hover jets she would have been to Drakken's lair by now. Instead they were still quite a distance from their destination. There was no telling what was going on there, and what would happen in the time it took to get there. All she knew was that she wanted to be there now. Why hadn't she kept the transportulator? That ingenious device could have solved so many of her problems. All she would have to do is call Ron's cell and when he answered she would be there in an instant. Alas, it was not meant to be.

She tapped her fingers while looking out the window. She didn't know why either. There was nothing but clouds. Lots and lots of clouds. That's all there ever was. More and more clouds. But it was all she had to look at for the moment. Waiting to arrive at the site of a mission tended to be the hardest part. And in this instance it was especially grueling.

Looking over at Junior, Kim saw that he was fidgeting a bit. She had to remember that he had a stake in this too. His father was still being held captive. Ron may have been the primary objective, but Senior was the secondary. She couldn't let herself forget that. But then again Senior didn't have a time table on his life. Ron did. And therefore Kim felt fully justified in making him her top priority.

Her kimmunicator began beeping as she continued staring out the window. Glad to have a distraction, she dug into her pocket and brought the device up in front of her.

"What's the sitch Wade?"

"Kim, Ron's on the move."

It was news at least. She hadn't heard much of anything since she had boarded the plane.

"What? Where?"

"He's moving south. And very quickly too."

"South?" she wondered. "What's south?"

"Just more mountains. If he was moving south-east I'd say he was heading back to Middleton. I don't know where he's going. Maybe New Mexico?"

"Oh oh! Or old Mexico!" Junior chimed in.

Kim ignored the Ronnish display from her new sidekick. Now was not the time to get nostalgic.

"I honestly can't tell where he plans on going," Wade admitted. "All I know is that he's not at Drakken's lair anymore. You should probably go after him."

"Yeah but if I don't know where he's going I can't just make this plane follow him," she frowned. "After all, it's not exactly my plane to command. I'm just using a favor to fly me to Drakken's lair."

Wade nodded knowing that she was right. But they had to do something.

"I'll keep monitoring the chip. Maybe you should head back to Middleton to regroup and find a way to follow him."

"Yeah… how are we going to do that? We can't get a ride that quickly and on such short notice."

He didn't have a good answer for that. And he hated not having answers.

"I don't know, Kim."

She sighed at the news. Ron was on the move and she had no way of following him at the moment. It was a depressing piece of news. As if her life could get any more depressing.

"Well… thanks Wade. Yeah, we'll head back to Middleton. I don't know what we're going to do but we have to think of something."

"Okay. I'll keep you up to date if anything new comes up," he said before pausing and giving her a weak smile. "Don't worry Kim. We'll get him back. I just know it."

She couldn't bring herself to speak. She just nodded.

She shoved the kimmunicator back in her pocket and leaned her head back against the seat. There was nothing she wanted to say right now. But she knew she at least had to tell the pilot to turn around.

The man did as he was told. After Kim had instructed him to return to Middleton she returned to her seat. It meant more sitting around. More waiting. More silence.

"So…" Junior said uneasily. "What are we going to do now?"

Kim knew that he was upset that they weren't going to save his father. But she also hoped that he understood why. They could go back for him later. There was no later once Ron had passed the point of no return.

"I… I don't know Junior. I really don't know…" she lamented. "I hate this feeling. I hate not knowing what to do. It's terrible to feel so helpless."

He knew all too well how she felt. When they had been captured by Shego, he had felt helpless as well. As their lair came crashing down on them he could do nothing but cower in fear, hoping that a falling piece of debris wouldn't hit him or his father. He felt just as helpless when Shego had burst into the room and took them prisoner.

"But the important thing is to not give up," he said. "You are Kim Possible. You can do anything. And you will think of a way to fix this. I know you will."

Kim slammed her fist on the chair's armrest.

"What if I can't do anything?" she yelled. "What if this is all for nothing? What if Ron ends up getting killed because I wanted to go around the world being a super hero…"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I should have stuck to cheerleading…" she said softly.

At times like these Junior wished he was smarter than he was. He wished he could think of the perfect thing to say to make a person feel better. But he could think of nothing to right the situation. All he could offer was what he had.

"You have still helped many people. Without you the world might have been taken over several times by now."

"And at what price?" she asked. "Ron's life? It's not worth it. Living in a free world without my best friend isn't a world worth having. He deserves better than this. We all do."

Junior had no response to that. He had said how he felt, and she had rejected it. It was an internal war that only she could wage. It was a resolution that only she could come to.

Minutes of silence followed Kim's outburst. It had given both of them time to reflect and think. Eventually she broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Junior," she said. "I didn't mean to yell at you about any of this. It's not your fault. I'm just upset about everything."

He understood why she had done what she did.

"Do not worry, Kim. There is no need to apologize. I know that your anger was not directed at me."

She smiled at his understanding.

"Thanks Junior."

She heard her kimminicator begin to beep once again. She turned it on once she had fished it from her pocket.

"Go Wade."

"Kim… um, we just got a hit," he said uneasily.

"A hit from who?"

There was noticeable hesitation in his voice.

"Camille Leon."

Kim felt anger rising up inside her at the mere mention of the name. She hated that girl with a passion. Even Shego didn't share the same level of pure loathing that she had for Camille. What she wanted was anyone's guess.

"What does she want?"

"I don't know exactly. She said it's about Ron."

Kim thought that maybe she was calling to gloat. But it just seemed so random. She could have gloated at any time over the past few days. Why now? Maybe there was some reason behind the call. She figured that at this point she had to investigate any lead on Ron, even if it came from Camille.

"Alright. Put her through."

Wade nodded. A few moments later his face was replaced with Camille's.

"What do you want?" Kim said bitterly.

"I need your help. It's about Ron," the heiress said without a trace of malice in her voice.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He parachuted out of a plane somewhere above Middleton. He has both parts of the Tempus Simia."

Fear shot through Kim's body. While she didn't know exactly what the Tempus Simia did, she knew its Latin translation. Anything that meant "time monkey" could not be good.

"When did this happen? How did it happen? What's going on, Camille?"

Being asked so many questions caused a scowl to cross her face. Clearly she did not have the patience to answer them all.

"Look, right now all that isn't important. What matters is that he's gone now. He's going to see Monkey Fist on how to use it. At least that was the plan when we were still… together," she hesitated on the last word. "And most importantly… I believe what you said about him."

They weren't together anymore. Kim wished she could celebrate that victory. But she couldn't. There was simply no time, and she was just not in the mood. Perhaps later if everything was back to normal she could celebrate. But not now.

"Well right now Wade is following the tracking chip. We'll know where he ends up."

"That's the other thing. When we were at Drakken's lair he got the chip removed. Drakken said he was going to flush it down the toilet so you wouldn't come after him."

Kim's eyes squeezed shut. This was even worse news than before. At least when they saw his tracking chip moving they had some idea of where he was going. But now they had nothing. There were no leads other than the fact that he was going to see Monkey Fist.

"Do you have any idea where Monkey Fist is right now?" Kim asked.

"No. If I did I would tell you."

It was worth a try at least. But as she suspected, it came up empty.

"Well… I'm on my way back to Middleton right now with Junior. We're going to be jumping any minute now. When we do get there I want to meet you face to face."

Thoughts raced through Camille's mind when she heard what Kim had said. Junior was going to be there. Her uncle. And Kim wanted to meet her. She remembered what had happened the last time she had been with Kim without Ron there to protect her. It was not something she wanted to experience again.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Camille said.

"Look, you obviously called me for a reason. I don't know what your sick mind is up to, but you telling me about Ron means that it's important to you for one reason or another. And seeing how you know a lot more about his recent activities than me, you will help me. Or else I will make things painful for you. Are we clear?"

Camille understood what she meant by painful. The threat was loud and clear. At this point not doing what Kim wanted would hurt a lot more than seeing her alone. And as she knew, there was more than just her at stake here.

"Fine. I'll meet you when you land. Just like, call me or whatever."

Kim put Camille's cell phone number into the directory on her kimmunicator. Once she was on the ground she would call the girl and set up a meeting.

When their conversation was over she once again returned the device to her pocket. Something was up. She just knew it. And while she didn't know what Camille's game was here, she knew that ignoring her would do more damage than getting her involved.

XXXXXXXXXX

Night had fallen upon Middleton as Ron walked through the forest. In his hands he clutched the two pieces of the Tempus Simia idol. He had had both in his possession for several hours now. But he needed a place to hide them. The forest was the perfect place.

Soon he would be contacting one of the men he feared most in the world. It was the reason he had been cursed with mystical monkey power. The Englishman considered it a blessing. But even when Ron had been sane he knew it was no such thing. Anything to do with monkeys could be considered nothing less than something to be reviled and loathed. He knew the irony of planning to use the idol to rule the world. The only problem was he did not know how it was to be done. For that he needed the expert on all things monkey related. Monkey Fist.

He took a seat on a fallen tree trunk and looked at the idol's head. The grinning stone head looked back at him with dull, unblinking eyes. If it was a staring contest he hoped to win he would be sadly disappointed.

"No, I don't know what to do with you," Ron told it.

The grin remained unchanged. Ron felt as if it was taunting him with its knowledge. Knowledge that he lacked. It was the reason he was being forced to contact Monkey Fist.

"That's why I'm going to bury you here," he responded to its mute question. "I don't like you. But I need you."

Again, its expression didn't change.

"Because I don't want to bring both parts until I know I can trust him. Well, at least trust him as much as you can trust any crazed genetically altered super villain."

Ron was growing angry with its questions. But it kept asking them. Or at least he kept hearing them.

"Look, will you just let me call him? Maybe if you're good I'll give you a snack."

Silence filled the air once more.

"All I know is that you're important. And I would hate for you to have a little accident. Oh yes, I would just _hate_ it."

He grimaced as he continued staring at the object. It was bothering him now.

"Just shut up. I'm going to call him."

He set it on the ground and got his cell phone out. While he didn't know how to directly get in touch with Monkey Fist, he thought he might know a way around it. After pulling an unusual number from the directory he made the call. It rang and rang until a voice finally answered.

"Fiske Manor. Bates speaking."

"Bates…" Ron said softly. "Bates Bates Bates. I remember you. You tried to trick us. You were helping Monkey Fist get the idols. You might even say that you're the reason I am the way I am. You and monkey boy of course. But not other monkey boy. Evil monkey boy. Then again all monkey boys are evil, aren't they?"

A moment of silence passed before the man on the other end responded.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" he asked.

Ron didn't bother answering the question. He had business to attend to.

"I have something your master wants. Tell him I have the Tempus Simia. Both parts."

"You what?" Bates gasped.

"You heard me. Get me in touch with Monkey Fist. I would hate to think about what he would do to you if you let this opportunity slip through your fingers."

"Of course…" he hesitated. "I'm afraid I don't know your name. How am I supposed to address the gentleman I am speaking to if I don't know who he is?"

Ron grinned at the words. No one ever remembered his name. It was just a part of his life he had been forced to deal with. No matter how many times he had helped save the world, no matter how many times Kim was in some magazine article or on the news, no one ever remembered his name. Or when they did they just got it wrong. This was no different. But soon people would know his name. Once Monkey Fist helped with the Tempus Simia he would be all-powerful. Ron didn't know what the stupid stone monkey was supposed to do. All he knew was that it was a potent weapon.

He licked the dried blood that still covered his mouth and chin. If Bates could get a good look at him right now there would be no way he could use the word "gentleman".

"Ron Stoppable…" Ron said dreamily. "Flon Boppable. Jon Loppable. Don Floppable. It doesn't matter what you call me. Just tell your freak of a master what I have, and that he is to meet me to discuss terms."

"Very well, I shall do that. But where is he to meet you? You have given no details as to where you are."

"I'm in Middleton. He is too. I can smell his monkey stench in the air."

"Such hostility is not necessary, Mr… Floppable was it?"

"Stoppable! It's Stoppable you fool!" Ron screamed into the phone. Clearly he had forgotten what he had said only seconds earlier.

Ron's teeth were bared and his face was a mask of rage as he stared wide-eyed into the phone. It didn't matter that Bates couldn't see how infuriated he had gotten. His anger was bordering on uncontrollable levels, and it was taking every ounce of self control he had not to throw his phone against a nearby tree.

"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Stoppable," Bates said calmly. "Now tell me, where is it that you would like Lord Fiske to meet you?"

"Middleton Forest Preserve," he said as his eyes scanned the surrounding trees. "I'll be the guy sitting on a log. Tell him to hurry up. I get bored easily. I would hate for something unfortunate to happen to the idol if I was kept waiting too long."

Ron couldn't see Bates nodding quickly before he replied.

"Yes yes, of course sir. I will inform Lord Fiske of your situation at once. Please just do not make any rash decisions. Lord Fiske greatly values the item you possess. He will be able to reward you richly for your efforts."

"Yes. Yes he will," Ron agreed.

He hung up before Bates could get another word in. He looked down at the dirt where he had buried the Tempus Simia's head. A guttural growl sounded in the back of his throat as he stared at it.

"Shut up. You're not helping," he told it.

XXXXXXXXXX

The mall was bustling with activity. She figured that was exactly why Camille had chosen the place.

Kim had arrived at the mall as the sun disappeared over the horizon. She knew that in another hour the massive complex would be closing for the night. She hoped it would be more than enough time to figure out what exactly Camille's plan was. Since there was no getting out of meeting face to face, the blonde had asked to meet her here in order to discuss a few things. Maybe to her a mall was akin to "home turf". Kim was more than happy to oblige.

She had been waiting for around twenty minutes in the food court. In that time she had gone and bought an order of French fries. She sighed as she dipped a couple into her ketchup and popped them in her mouth. Her frustration was mounting. If someone said to meet you in a certain place at a certain time, they were expected to show up. And according to the clock on her kimmunicator Camille was twenty minutes late. If she realized that lives were at stake she sure wasn't showing it.

Kim leaned back in her chair and looked up at the lights mounted on the ceiling. Another impatient sigh escaped her lips.

She decided to go through the information she knew again. Ron had both parts of the Tempus Simia and was going to see Monkey Fist. He had apparently ditched Camille in doing so. And now neither of the girls knew exactly where he was. Could this be why Camille had contacted her? Was she after simple revenge for being dumped by Ron? Kim figured that it made some sense. If nothing else, turning him good again would foil whatever plot he had in mind. She had no problem with that. Anything that saved Ron's life was just fine, even if it did involve Camille's help.

She munched on a few more fries before she saw a girl approaching her. Her heart sank instantly when she saw the black hair. It wasn't Camille. But it didn't stop the stranger from taking a seat across from her.

"Kim," she said indifferently.

Kim frowned, knowing that she was going to have to send this person away.

"I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone. It's important."

"Duh," the raven haired girl said. "I'm Camille."

If she was claiming to be any other person, Kim would have simply ignored her and moved to another table. But it made sense. Taking the face of another person was nothing out of the ordinary for her manipulative foe.

"I want to believe you, but I need proof," Kim said. "I've needed to get a lot of proof from people these past few days. So tell me something that only Camille and I would know."

"I screwed your best friend," she said bluntly.

Kim's mind went blank as she made a fist and was mere milliseconds away from shattering the girl's jaw. But that would only be giving Camille the attention that she wanted. And more than that, it would just be another way to ruin her reputation. Kim Possible assaulting an innocent civilian in a mall filled with witnesses could destroy her. Instead she took a deep breath and unclenched her fist. Had she looked at it she would have seen that her fist had been so tight that her knuckles had gone white.

"You just had to choose that, didn't you," she said bitterly.

The stranger smiled mischievous smirk.

"Didn't have to. But it was the fun choice."

Kim shook her head trying to forget what she had just heard. It was time to get down to business.

"Alright Camille, no more games. This is serious. If you're telling the truth about believing me then you know Ron's life is in serious danger. Right?"

"Call me Jill in public," she said. "I'm trying to maintain a disguise here. We wouldn't want the media following us around while we're trying to save the world, now would we?"

Kim shot her a skeptical look.

"You? Save the world? What are you talking about?"

"Look, I do believe you about Ron," she said before pausing for a few seconds. "I… saw things that I wish I had never seen. He did things, said things that I never would have thought he was capable of. I may have only known him for a few weeks, but I know that this isn't him. And it's not right either. No one should have to be like what he is now. Especially if he's going to die in a few days."

"Maybe even tomorrow…" Kim said softly. "Hench said that he only had four days to a week before it became irreversible. And since that's the case I'm going with the absolute minimal amount of time," she said as her words were getting caught in her throat. "Cami- Jill, if we don't save him by tomorrow night, I'm afraid I'll lose him forever."

Camille saw how emotional Kim was getting. She had been right about the teen hero's poker face. She was showing what she had for the world to see. It was just one of the reasons that manipulating her was so easy… so fun. But this wasn't the time to do it. Despite how much bad blood the two girls had, they had bigger issues to worry about.

Silence settled over the table after Kim's display of emotion. When normally Camille would have pounced on the opportunity to take advantage of it, she had to work to restrain herself now.

"Time monkey," she said randomly.

Kim just gave her a confused glance.

"The Tempus Simia," she continued. "It's Latin for time monkey. I don't know what it does, but Ron is convinced it can do something great because Monkey Fist wants it."

"I know what it means," Kim replied. "I just don't know what it does."

"Can't you like, call your tech guy and find out?"

"He's already working on it. The important thing is that we need to find Ron. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

Camille frowned when she had no answer to give. She liked knowing things. Knowledge was power. Power to be in control. And she always had to be in control. When she didn't know information she felt helpless. And since she didn't know any martial arts like Kim she was at a severe disadvantage when it came to a power struggle.

"I don't know where he is. But if you find out I want to come too."

Kim looked at her like she was out of her mind.

"Are you crazy? What makes you think I would ever want someone like you on a mission like me?"

Camille glared hatefully at her.

"Don't you ever call me crazy," she hissed.

She didn't know why, but this was the second time that Camille had given an emotional reaction to being called crazy.

"Fine. But it doesn't change the fact that there's no way I would ever let someone like you watch my back. You would bury a knife in it sooner than you would help me."

Camille shrugged with a slight tilt of her head as she conceded the point to her arch foe.

"Normally, yeah. That would be totally true. But I actually have something at stake here."

"What could you possibly want out of this?"

"I'm in it for the payback. I don't like getting dumped. No one dumps me, Kim. Especially not twice."

Kim had figured as much. Payback was a good motivation for lots of things. But the last word got her attention. She looked quizzically into the blue eyes sitting across from her.

"Twice?" she wondered.

Camille waved her hand dismissively.

"Just forget about it. It's nothing."

While she wasn't sure, Kim thought she knew the meaning behind Camille's choice of words. And if what she thought was true, then maybe things would start to look up after she turned Ron back to normal. She wouldn't press the issue… for now.

"Fine. I think I know what happened anyway."

"Just shut up, okay?"

Kim smiled knowing that for once she had struck a nerve with her nemesis.

"Sure," she said before changing the topic. "So this is Jill, huh?"

Camille nodded.

"Yeah, so? What about it?"

"Why did you choose to appear like her tonight? Why did you use it on Ron? I don't know, I'm just curious I guess."

Curious was right. Kim wanted to get inside the mind of the girl who had been inside hers for the past several weeks. She knew the power that mind games and manipulation had. They were stronger than all the sixteen styles of kung fu she knew combined.

"None of your business," Camille said flatly.

"Aren't you just full of secrets," Kim cooed. "I guess you're not nearly as stupid as people think you are,"

"Yeah, that's what your former best friend said the night we went to Bonnie's party."

Kim scowled at the mention of the party. It was just another part of the entire process which had turned Ron against her. And seeing the small smirk form on Camille's face, she realized that she had said it for a reason. It was indeed turning into a mind game war.

"And whether you like it or not, I am coming along. So either you let me come with where you can see me, or maybe I'll just have to pose as someone else. Junior, a driver, a pilot, I could be anyone," she said. "Funny, I told Ron the same thing. Too bad we never got to try it out."

It was another very personal jab that threatened to send Kim over the edge. But like before she kept her cool. She worked hard to keep her face under control. She didn't want to let Camille know how much the comment affected her.

The blonde did have a point though. It was better to keep a loose cannon like her where she could be seen at all times. Having to constantly look over her shoulder would only distract Kim from the real goal. And she could afford no distractions when it came to Ron. She found it morbidly amusing when she realized she couldn't have any distractions involving Ron.

"You want to come along? Fine. But know this, my first and only priority is putting the attitudinator on Ron's head and getting him back to normal. If you die out there because you're too slow or stupid to react to a threat, that's your fault. I will not be looking after you. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Alright, I'll set you up with a spare mission outfit of mine. At least that way you'll have a lot of mobility and you'll be able to use some of your gymnastic moves if you need to."

A tiny, mocking laugh slipped through Camille's lips. It appeared she was working hard not to erupt into full-blown hysterics.

"What's so funny?"

"Me wearing _that _outfit?" she said pointing to Kim's attire. "Sorry, but the Kim Possible look is _so_ last year. You couldn't pay me to wear that train wreck."

Hearing Camille insult her outfit made Kim growl angrily.

"It's not a look. It's my mission outfit. It's very comfortable and flexible. And it looks good, thank you very much."

"Whatever. I could pick something better out of my closet. Or better yet, I'll go to Club Banana right now and get something."

Kim was quite honestly getting tired of this conversation. It would be better to just get Camille out of her hair.

"Fine with me. If you're still serious about wanting to come along I'll call you when I get some more info. Until then just… don't do anything stupid. Okay? I need to focus all my attention and energy on Ron. I don't need you screwing things up."

Kim stood up before Camille could reply. The heiress watched her walk out of the food court toward the front doors of the mall.

Camille shrugged uninterestedly at the way the conversation had ended. Now she at least had an excuse to go shopping… not that she ever needed an excuse to do so. But the prospect of finding a "mission outfit", as Kim put it was exciting. She would outdo Kim at her own game. And she would look good while doing it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Dry twigs crunched under bare feet. He knew he should have worn shoes. But having gone bare foot for the past three years now had made such an idea seem undesirable. After all, monkeys didn't wear shoes. They didn't need to when they lived in the wild. And he didn't need to either.

Monkey Fist was carrying a large, bright flashlight with him as he wandered through the Middleton Forest Preserve. His two loyal monkey ninjas flanked him on either side, their eyes constantly on the lookout for trouble. He knew that he was potentially stepping into trouble here.

He had been enraged when he had heard that Ron Stoppable had the Tempus Simia. He was a fool, an idiot, and most importantly, a pretender. He was not worthy of having mystical monkey power. He was not worthy of harnessing the great power that the idol held. But apparently he didn't know what the sacred item did. If he did he wouldn't have called the true monkey master here to meet him. Monkey Fist could only assume that it was a similar situation to what he and Dr. Drakken had. He had the idol, but not the knowledge. Only Monkey Fist knew how to unlock the secrets hidden in the stone.

Another twig snapped. It was swiftly followed by a voice.

"Not another move, monkey boy."

Monkey Fist froze when and brought his light up toward the source of the sound. He saw Ron standing there in his traditional mission outfit. Only he did not look normal. Not one bit.

The most obvious difference was the red stain that surrounded his mouth. As he examined him further, the boy's hair was an utter mess. It was filthy and wild as if he had not taken a shower in days. His bloodshot eyes said that he was not getting much sleep. And the crazed look in those eyes told the world that he was not himself.

Monkey Fist was in no mood to deal with this. He held out his free palm as he spoke.

"Give me the idol, Stoppable," he said darkly. "Or I will take it forcibly from you. And you would not want to experience that."

Mocking laughter with a good amount of saliva spewed from Ron's mouth. The threat had not only been rebuffed, it was being ridiculed. The reaction made Monkey Fist's blood boil.

"Now you listen-"

"No!" Ron interrupted.

"What?"

"I will not listen. I brought you here to listen to me. If you don't do what I want I will destroy the Tempus Simia idol. And I know it means a lot more to you than it does to me."

The Englishman was seething, but he knew that Ron was right. Ron had nothing to lose since he didn't know the power he possessed. But Monkey Fist on the other hand…

"Very well. I'm listening."

"Here's the deal. I will allow you to have the body of the idol. But the head stays with me. You will tell me what needs to be done with the pieces. And we will do it together. And after we unlock its power we will have a little battle to determine who keeps the power for himself. The winner takes all. That is unless you're too scared to face me."

Monkey Fist grinned at the idea. He knew that he was more than a match for anything the teen could throw at him. It was absolutely perfect.

"Agreed. Now shall we get going?"

"Oh, one more thing," Ron said as he reached into one of his large cargo pockets. He brought out a hammer he had swiped from the toolbox in Drakken's lair. "If you so much as look at me the wrong way I smash the head. That means you get nothing. And neither do I. But it seems you want this a lot more than I do, doesn't it?"

Any plans he had of taking the head before reaching central Africa vanished from the former nobleman's mind. But it didn't matter. He knew that he would defeat Ron in their fight to determine who kept the power. He would just have to deal with the teen until the two pieces were brought together.

"Fine with me. Now then, I have a private jet that can take us to where we need to go. So let's get going right now."

"Yes, very good."

Ron crouched down and began clawing through the dirt. After a few seconds he brought the stone head up in one hand and held the hammer in the other. He looked into Monkey Fist's eyes as he tapped the head of the hammer gently against the stone.

"Lead the way," he said.

XXXXXXXXXX

There had been no updates from Wade all night. That was almost as depressing as bad news would have been. But she was at least thankful that there was nothing bad to report.

Kim sat down for lunch on Monday morning. She looked forlornly at the seat that Ron had normally occupied until a few days ago when he had decided to sit with Camille. It was as empty as the hole in her heart that missed her best friend.

Monique and Felix knew why she was staring at the chair but didn't say anything. They had been informed of Ron's condition not long after Kim herself had learned it. There was nothing they could say to fix it. That's what they would normally try to do. If anyone had a problem the rest of the group did and said what they could to try to make things better. But for this problem a simple "it will all work out" offered little compassion. This was a game they didn't understand, a game they didn't even want to understand. They left the hero game to the people who could deal with it.

But their attention was drawn to the person who took a seat in another empty chair at the table. When Kim saw who it was she was just as shocked.

"Bonnie?"

The brunette gave her an icy glare that would have silenced most people. But Kim was used to the look. She was immune to its chill.

"I forgot that your suspension ended today…"

"Uh huh," the dethroned queen muttered.

"Um… why are you sitting here?"

"Because thanks to that bitch over there," she said pointing to Camille. "The squad hates me. Jessica and Tara do because they think that I think all blondes are stupid. And the rest, well, they're just trying to stay clear of me because my reputation got ruined. They don't want to associate with a…"

Kim wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. But in her current state she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she just finished Bonnie's sentence.

"Loser?"

"Just… just shut up Kim. Okay?"

"Alright."

Kim took a bite from her sandwich as an uneasy silence settled over the teens. The solemn mood had switched to uncomfortable in an instant. Bonnie was curious why.

"So all this quietness can't be because of me," she said. "What's going on?"

"It's Ron," Felix said softly.

"Oh. Where is that loser anyway? I haven't seen him all day. Is he still dating Camille? I still can't get over the fact that she's still popular even though she's dating him. I mean, how can she possibly be more popular than me with Stoppable as a boyfriend?"

Bonnie was on the receiving end of three angry scowls as she ranted. She was painfully out of the loop. She may not have known what had been going on the past few days, but it didn't mean that they couldn't get angry for what she said.

"Ron… is in big trouble," Monique said sadly.

A soft laugh slipped out of Bonnie's mouth as she thought about what kind of trouble he could get into.

"What, did he turn all evil again or something stupid like that? Is that why he's not here? Did he get suspended for starting another food fight?"

Kim slammed her fist on the top of the table. Bonnie, though completely unintentionally, had hit way too close to home.

"Knock it off Bonnie," she said angrily. "You have no idea how bad this is."

Bonnie frowned when she realized that Kim was upset. Kim didn't get upset. Despite all of the barbed comments she used to throw at her, Kim always came out unscathed. To see her lose her cool like this meant that something was terribly wrong. Her tone turned serious.

"Seriously, what the heck is going on?"

Kim met the brunette's gaze as she began to explain the situation.

"Yes, Ron got turned evil again. He has been since Thursday. And if we don't change him back really soon he's going to die. That's how simple it is."

The words hit Bonnie's chest like a giant fist. She shook her head in disbelief.

"No way. He can't die. People don't die in your world, Kim. They just… I don't even know. They unleash giant wiener dogs and use weird chemicals to make two people stick together. But they don't die."

"I don't know how else to explain it to you. If I don't save him by the end of the day he really could die. Don't ask me to explain how the attitudinator works because I don't know. All I know is that I have to turn him good again."

"Oh…" she said as she looked down at the table. "Well, uh, I guess the whole thing about me being suspended seems pretty small in comparison. I was going to ask about that, but…"

"It was Camille."

Bonnie's head shot up when she heard that.

"What do you mean?"

"Camille's a shape shifter or something. She posed as you, me, and a lot of other people. She's the one who got you suspended."

"You're kidding. She's the one who ruined my social life? But why?"

"I wish I had a good answer for you, but I don't. My only guess is that she just wanted to be on top."

Kim cringed at her choice of words, knowing what she did. Either no one noticed or they just didn't bother to ask why she had reacted like that.

"Makes sense… it's what I would have done."

"What?" Kim asked in disbelief.

"If I was the new girl at school I would take down whoever was at the top of the food chain. I would totally manipulate everyone else, get them all to be my friend, and then take out the queen bee. I gotta say, I'm actually impressed. But now I have to bring her down. I'm going to enjoy destroying her even more than I do with you and Stoppable. This chick is going to be a challenge. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

As if drawn to them by the mere mention of her name, Camille took a seat at the table. No one had noticed her walk over from the cheerleader table. Monique and Felix gave her angry looks. Bonnie glared hatefully at her. And to their surprise, only Kim was the one who looked indifferent towards the villainess.

"Anything?" she asked cryptically.

Kim shook her head sadly.

"No. Nothing. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We have no idea where he could be now."

"Have you tried calling him?"

Kim gave her an incredulous look.

"Excuse me?"

"Um, call his cell? Can't you people do that whole triangulate thingy like they do on TV?"

"No, Camille. Because in order to do that you need a third point, like a satellite. Hence the 'triangle' in 'triangulate'."

"So? Get your nerd friend to build you one. Maybe your lie to Ron inspired him to make one."

Kim was about to strike Camille for bringing that up when she realized that she was right. They didn't need their own satellite. Wade could get one for them. Or more accurately, steal one for them.

She got her kimmunicator out and made the call.

"Hey Kim," the boy said. "Sorry, but I haven't found any sign of Ron. But I did dig up some info on the Tempus Simia."

"Not now Wade. We need to try something. If we call Ron could you triangulate his position and find out where he is with GPS or whatever?"

"I think you're thinking of trilateration, Kim. But yeah, if I had some satellites I might be able to track him by his phone's signal. But I don't."

"So steal one!" she said a bit louder than she would have preferred. She took a moment to collect herself before continuing. "You're a super genius aren't you? Hack some satellites. Steal them. I don't care what you call it. Our friend's life is in danger. You do what you have to do."

Wade was taken aback by the emotion in Kim's voice. But he understood why. This was a very serious situation, and emotions were getting the better of many people these days. He nodded enthusiastically at the idea of stealing a satellite.

"Okay. I'll do it. But you'll still need to get him on the phone."

"I doubt he'll even take my call…" she said sadly. "He hates me now thanks to everything you did," she motioned to Camille.

"Then I'll do it. Wow, seems like I have to do everything around here myself…" Camille mumbled to herself.

She flipped open her cell phone and called Ron's number. After several rings he answered.

"What," he said coldly.

"Um, Ron? Hey… how's it going?"

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Just calling to say hi… and that I was thinking. You were right. I was being _so _annoying… you were right to do what you did. But I want to be partners again. We had a nice evil little plan, didn't we?"

The insane cackling that she had grown to hate erupted from the phone so everyone at the table could hear it. It was so loud that Camille had to move the phone away from her ear.

"You poor pathetic girl. You think I want you? I have everything I need for my plan. And soon I will unlock the power of the Tempus Simia. You'll just be a memory after that."

Camille wanted so badly to insult and demean him. But she had to keep him on the line while Wade did his work.

"So does that mean you've talked to Monkey Fist already?"

"Oh yes. I've already made a deal with him. We're on our way to our destination right now. It will take only a few more hours to arrive. And then I will rule the world."

"And what are you going to do once that happens?"

"I don't know, I think I'll start off by destroying all the people who could never remember my name. That's a lot of people though. It will keep me busy for a while. And of course I will finish off Kim Possible."

Camille glanced over to Kim to get her reaction to his statement. She was busy looking down at her kimmunicator. A few seconds later she looked up and gave Camille a thumbs up. It was done.

"Kay Ron, you keep having your delusions of grandeur. I blame it on spending too much time with Drakken. But know this, Stoppable. I'm going to bring you down for what you did to me. No one, absolutely no one, does that to Camille Leon. See ya soon."

Without waiting for his response she flipped her phone closed. She stood up before looking at Kim.

"Alright, I'm going to get changed. You call Junior and get a ride or whatever you do."

Kim nodded before looking back down at Wade's face.

"So where are they?" she asked.

"According to their trajectory and flight path, they're heading to somewhere in central Africa. And get this, the research I did on the Tempus Simia said that there's a temple for it in-"

"Central Africa?" she finished.

"You got it Kim. I'm ninety nine percent sure that's where he's headed."

"Then we are too. Wade, get me a ride."

He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily at the command.

"Um… we don't have a ride to get there."

"We _what_?"

"Like I said… Global Justice doesn't want to be your personal valets. And there isn't a plane available to us that's fast enough to get you there in time to stop Ron. He's already halfway across the Atlantic Ocean."

Kim closed her eyes tight and shook her head. This could not be happening.

"I'm sorry Kim… but it looks like our plan just crashed and burned."

Crashed and burned.

Kim's eyes widened.

"Team Impossible!" she shouted.

The room went silent and looked at her standing up with a finger pointed to the air. After a few seconds the majority of the students resumed their lunch.

"Kim?" Wade asked.

"Dash Demond, Crash Cranstin, and Burn Burmin," she explained. "Team Impossible. They're non-profit now, remember? If we call them they can get us to Africa in time. They have a plane that's fast enough."

"Right! I'll get them on the line right now."

"Okay. Tell them to pick us up here. I'll call Junior and then change."

The two made their respective calls before Kim went to her locker to retrieve her mission clothes. When she stepped into the bathroom she realized that Camille had left a couple minutes earlier. She was currently in one of the stalls putting on her own outfit. Kim stepped into the one next to hers and began changing.

"So… I still have my doubts about you coming along," she said to Camille. "But if you genuinely want to help, for whatever reasons you might have, I could use all the help I can get."

"Whatever."

"Just don't get in my way. Distract him while I knock him out and put the attitudinator on his head. Okay?"

"Uh huh."

Kim wasn't used to the unusually quiet side of the villainess. She figured that maybe their current situation and location was a bit awkward.

When Kim was finished she opened the stall door and stepped outside. She saw Camille standing there waiting for her.

She wore an outfit that was similar, yet completely different from her own. Camille's cargo paints were colored with black, white and tan camouflage rather than solid dark green. Her black tank top was tight and revealing instead of Kim's loose, three quarter length sleeved shirt. The only thing she had that matched Kim's outfit was the pair of black leather gloves.

The heiress looked Kim up and down and noticed an anomaly. Kim never usually wore white underneath her shirt. But it didn't matter. She just continued looking as a smirk broke out on her face.

"You know the difference between you and me?" Camille asked. "I make this look good."

XXXXXXXXXX

It had not taken Team Impossible long to arrive at Middleton High School. Junior had arrived at the school a bit before they did, and the three members of Ron's rescue team embarked on the high tech hover jet belonging to the former heroes for hire.

Kim looked at her two partners with amazement. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be going on a mission to rescue Ron with Senor Senior Jr. and Camlle Leon, she would have laughed them out of the room. But things had changed in the past few weeks. Junior was fighting for his father, while Camille was fighting for her…dignity? It's what she figured at least. But they were all she had to count on these days. Everything had gone so horribly wrong.

Wade had been keeping a track on Ron's flight since they had first pinpointed his position. He was growing ever nearer to the African continent. And while Team Impossible's jet was making up ground at an incredible pace, it was still not going to be in time. Wade estimated that depending on where they landed Kim would arrive several hours after Ron. But Wade had also told her that the Tempus Simia's head had to be attached to its body at precisely noon for it to work. That was a small victory at least.

A flight that had taken half a day for Ron would not take as long for Kim and her crew, but it would still take time. It was mid-morning when she arrived thanks to the time zone difference of travelling this far east. Looking out the window she could see the green jungles that spread from one end of the horizon to the other. Ron was out there somewhere. And he was with Monkey Fist. She couldn't forget that. Monkey Fist was waiting as well.

She sighed when she checked the time. The waiting was the hardest part. She would be there soon. It just couldn't arrive quickly enough. It would be noon in this part of Africa in less than an hour. And she still had to find out where exactly the temple was.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron and Monkey Fist stalked through the empty Temple of the Tempus Simia. A circular hole was carved into the ceiling where the light from the sun would shine through onto an altar that stood in the chamber. That was where the idol had to be put together. And it had to be at precisely noon.

They had arrived in the middle of the night and spent the night in the temple. Neither of them had slept. They had to wait there for hours until the sun was sitting at the top of the sky. While Ron tried not to show fatigue, his eyes betrayed him. But now the waiting was nearly over.

"Why do you get to put it on?" Ron grumbled.

"Because I am the master of mystical monkey power! You are just a fool and an imposter!"

"I have just as much power as you! I got hit with the stupid yellow lights too!"

"How dare you call it stupid! I've worked my life for this power!"

"And what a wasted life you've lived," Ron laughed. "Now give me the monkey head!"

The two practitioners of monkey kung fu grappled with each other for the head. As they did so Ron released the object with one of his hands to reach into his pocket and retrieve the hammer. Even though he might not be able to deliver a decisive blow, he knew that Monkey Fist didn't want to take a chance.

"Stop!" the Englishman yelled. "Okay, just… we will put it on together."

"Together?" Ron grinned scarily. Dried blood still covered his lower face.

"Yes… we shall attach the head together. We will both hold it and put it on."

"Fine. And then we will see who will have control of the power."

"Yes… yes we will."

The two villains breathing increased as the sun neared the point it needed in order to make the ancient magic work. Each one truly believed that in only a matter of seconds they would be unstoppable.

It was time.

Four hands gripped the stone head; four hands placed it on the idol's body at precisely the right moment required. A ring of glowing red energy expanded out of the idol and through the air. A portal opened up behind them. But before either of them could step into it they were tackled off of the altar.

Ron and Monkey Fist landed hard on the ground together. They looked up to see a green woman standing above them.

"Shego?" Monkey Fist asked. "What… what are you doing here?"

She nodded her head back at Dr. Drakken who was standing several feet behind her.

"I'm here to reclaim what's rightfully ours," she explained. "The sidekick here stole it from us. And now that you put it together we don't need you anymore."

Shego grasped the Tempus Simia idol from its resting place on the altar. A loud thunderclap sounded outside that shook the temple's chamber.

"See? I've got it. You don't. What do you think of that, monkey freak?"

She didn't get a verbal response. Instead the two men were back on their feet and charging at her. She tossed the idol to Drakken who fumbled it in his hands for a moment, but soon secured his grip on it.

Monkey Fist threw a punch at Shego that was easily avoided. But rather than simply dodging it she grasped his arm and threw him back and over her shoulder. He landed several feet behind the melee as it continued between her and Ron.

Drakken retreated to behind the altar where he wouldn't get in his partner's way. He felt safe there as he watched Ron and Shego fight. But the fight didn't last long. Even if Ron hadn't been up the past two nights he was still not quite up to Shego's strength and skill. He was dispatched and sent flying across the room where he landed on his backside. He was slow to get up, but did so eventually. He looked hatefully at the woman who had foiled his plan. He watched as Drakken walked to stand next to her.

"Hah! That's what you get!" he taunted. "I've got the best fighter in the room. And now the Tempus Simia is ours!"

As the mad scientist began laughing, Monkey Fist gathered himself in preparation for another attack. But before he could make a move he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around to see… Shego?

In a panic he swung a fist aimed at her face. The villainess calmly caught it with her right hand. With her left she brought a fist of her own down on the man's elbow. The result was a sickening crunching sound of snapped bones and ligaments.

A horrifying scream filled the room that got everyone else's attention. They looked to see Monkey Fist writhing in agony on the floor of the temple clutching his arm. The arm was bent at a right angle at the elbow… facing the completely wrong way.

A collective, shocked gasp escaped their mouths when they saw who was responsible for it.

"Walk it off, ya wimp," The Supreme One smirked as she looked down at the fallen monkey master. She turned her attention back to Shego and Drakken. "Now then… you two. Gimmie my time monkey."

XXXXXXXXXX

Authors Note: Camille's mission outfit was taken from a picture called "My Evil Little Plan..." by Destikim on DeviantArt, and displayed on the account Camille-leon. I liked the look so much that I just had to use it. So thanks to Destikim and Camille-leon for the inspiration.


	20. A Glitch In Time

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who's following this story. Your support is truly appreciated. And a big thank you to Brandon for beta reading. You are a king among men.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Does it feel good tonight, hurt me with nothing,  
Some sort of sick satisfaction you get from mind fucking,  
Oh stripped down to my naked core,  
The darkest corners of my mind are yours,  
That's where you live, that's where you breathe."_

_~Apocalyptica, 'S.O.S.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

Numerous pairs of eyes were staring in amazement at the figure that was standing over the screaming body of Monkey Fist. They saw Shego, but that couldn't be. She was already standing in the room next to Dr. Drakken. They looked back at her as if expecting some kind of explanation. She didn't have one. She merely continued staring at the person who looked and sounded exactly like her. With a low growl she turned to look at her employer.

"What did I tell you about cloning me!" she screamed.

Drakken's grip on the Tempus Simia tightened as he was chastised. But he knew he had done nothing wrong. Still though, old habits were hard to break.

"Shego, I didn't do this. I didn't make a clone of you," he said in his defense.

The villainess put her hands on her hips as her eyes narrowed on him.

"Oh yeah? Then who did? You think monkey boy did this? Or the psychotic sidekick? As much as it pains me to say this, you're the only one here smart enough to get away with cloning me. In fact screw the getting away with part; you're the only one smart enough to clone me period."

He normally would have taken that as a compliment. Compliments were not something you could pass up when they came from Shego's mouth. But right now he was in no position to be feeling smug about what she had said. There was a second Shego standing in the room, a Shego that he had not made.

"I don't know who made her, but it wasn't me…" he said before lowering his voice. He sidled up next to her and moved his hand to shield his lips from the rest. "And if you ask me, I don't think we can trust a clone of you that I didn't create."

Shego nodded in agreement as her eyes reverted their gaze back to her doppelganger. Whoever, whatever she was, she could not be trusted. If Drakken didn't make her who did? She figured she would resort to her usual tactic to find out, being blunt.

"Hey, you," she said pointing to the Supreme One. "Who are you and where did you come from? Whose ass am I going to have to kick for making a clone of me?"

The Supreme One chuckled softly at the question.

"Ya know, you'd be amazed at how little you'll change in the next twenty years," she said.

Shego's brow furrowed in confusion at the response. Clearly this imposter wasn't about to answer when asked verbally.

"You know what? That's okay," she smirked. "I have ways of making you talk."

The Supreme One waved her hand dismissively at the threat.

"I'm not here for you, dear," she said as her eyes focused on Drakken. "I'm here for that."

Shego looked to see her pointing at Drakken. More specifically at what he was holding.

"Oh yeah? And why do you want it?"

"What would you do if I told you I wasn't a clone?"

"You know she does look a bit too old to be a clone of you," Drakken said. "Or if she is, whoever did it did a real shoddy job."

A pair of fists angrily ignited with emerald energy upon hearing these words. The Supreme One unconsciously took a step forward towards him.

"I had forgotten how lippy you could get without an obedience collar around your neck," she told him. "It's been too quiet these past few months. I've even missed your little quips. But it's okay. Soon everything will be back to normal."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, moving a step sideways to stand behind Shego.

"It means give me the Tempus Simia. If you do then nobody will get hurt. Well, nobody except him," she said as she glanced down at Monkey Fist.

He wasn't screaming anymore. He wasn't even moving. Shego figured that he had probably passed out from the pain. It was understandable; a person who got their arm snapped in the completely wrong direction probably wouldn't be able to take too much of that torment. For a brief second she felt pity for the disgraced nobleman. But those thoughts vanished when she remembered who he was. She also had to keep her mind on the task at hand. She and Drakken were in possession of the Tempus Simia. Apparently two people wanted to take it from them. She glanced over to see Ron still standing there. He was injured but far from out of the fight. But he had by now learned his lesson about facing her so openly.

"Yeah, sorry. Not happening," Shego chuckled. "You're going to have to take it from us. And clone or not, I don't think you can take me."

"Did everyone just forget about me or something?" Ron bellowed. "Pay attention to me! I am not a sidekick anymore! I am not a number! I am a human being!"

Shego knew that to be true. While he was quite obviously insane, he had proven to be a threat. He had broken out of Drakken's lair while neutralizing her in the process. Sure he may have had Camille smack her in the head with a wrench to do so, but it was the result that mattered. Like it or not he may still have some tricks up his sleeve. And that meant he could not be ignored.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, sidekick," she taunted. Though she may have taken him as a serious threat, she knew that addressing him like that would make him angry. And letting your emotions get the better of you in a fight could spell disaster.

"I am not a sidekick!" he repeated.

He rushed at her again, sending a fist flying at her face. She blocked the strike with a forearm before sending her own fist into his chest. The blow slammed into him like a hammer, sending him stumbling back to catch his breath. She had been right about his anger making him sloppy.

Ron quickly recovered from the injury and was back upon her in an instant. Another punch was deflected by the villainess. She tried to counter him the same was as before. But this time he was ready for her, and brought his own free hand to block hers. With both pairs of hands busy he took the opportunity to thrust the top of his forehead into the bridge of her nose. Shego's head snapped backwards as she stumbled away from him. Her eyes were widened in shock as she looked at the salivating former teen hero. His own eyes too were wide, but she figured it was for a far different reason than her own.

Shego ignited her claws and leapt at him, prepared to tear him apart. A slash with her right hand was caught at her wrist by one of his large hands, while her left succeeded in tearing a large gash in his black mission shirt. He moved a leg behind her and kicked her feet out from under her, all the while maintaining his grip on her right wrist. As she fell backwards he came down with her. She recovered quickly however, and used the momentum of the fall to kick him up and over her as she landed on her back. His grip was finally released from her as he was sent flying through the air several feet before landing on his stomach and chin.

He growled angrily as he stood up, more saliva dripping from his red chin. He embodied his mad dog mascot head perfectly at this moment both in appearance and demeanor.

The Supreme One was momentarily caught up in the moment as a wave of déjà vu hit her.

"Fighting… you know, it's fun to watch," she said softly to herself.

Knowing that this was the perfect moment to get the Tempus Simia, she began making her way toward the now vulnerable Dr. Drakken. He would be absolutely no trouble in convincing to hand the idol over. But then an all too familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Shego!"

The Supreme One slowly turned to face the entrance of the temple. Kim Possible strutted into the room calmly. The teen's face was relaxed, and she thought that there was even a tiny hint of a smirk on it. The Supreme One narrowed her eyes at the newcomer as she clenched her fists.

"Well well, it's so nice of the princess to finally show up," she said mockingly. "I was beginning to think this wasn't going to be a challenge at all."

Kim brought her fists up into a defensive position as she stared down her foe.

"You're like, totally going down," she said. "And wait, why are there two of you?"

"Oh there will be plenty of time for explanations later. After all, soon I'll have nothing but time on my hands."

Kim looked past her to see the portal next to the altar still open. She didn't know what exactly it was or where it led to, but she was certain that it was bad.

She strode over to stand near the shaft of light from the ceiling that illuminated the room. She extended her arm towards The Supreme One and motioned with her fingers to come and get her.

"Bring it," Kim said arrogantly. "Unless you're scared to get beaten by me again."

The Supreme One was not afraid. She had never been afraid of Kim in her life. And to see her, hear her taunting her like this only enraged her. That child needed to know her place. She needed to be taught what happened when someone dared to defy the Supreme One.

Her hands blazed with fury equal to what she felt inside her for her old nemesis. It had been too many months since she had actually fought against another person. It had been even longer since that person had been Kim. She was going to enjoy this.

As she moved to strike her teenage foe, she hesitated when she saw Kim raise her arms to shield herself from the blow. That wasn't like her. But why would she…

The answer hit her hard. Literally.

A boot smashed into the back of her head, knocking her forward as she crashed face first onto the floor of the temple. Looking up she was sure that she was hallucinating. It was her worst nightmare. Two Kim's stood over her. The one she had spoken with had a smug smirk on her face while the other appeared to be all business. But how could there be two? It all became clear when she saw the first Kim morph into an all too familiar face.

"Way to wait 'til the last moment, Kim," Camille huffed.

Kim threw her an annoyed look at the blonde.

"Yeah, I almost felt like letting her knock you around for a few seconds," she said before looking back at the Supreme One. "Then I remembered that I'm nothing like you. I'm a hero. And I wouldn't let anyone, not even someone as messed up as you get needlessly hurt."

Camille's fists clenched as she gritted her teeth.

"Shut up, Kim," she growled. "At least I'm not wearing that crime against fashion."

Kim did not look the same as she had on the plane. Her black top and dark green cargo pants were gone. Instead she wore a skin-tight white outfit that left no curve on her unexplored. Camille figured that this was what must have been the unusual white clothing underneath the mission outfit. Kim must have removed the unneeded mission clothes when she was on top of the temple waiting for her cue. But what exactly it was or what purpose it served she did not know. All she knew was that she thought it looked hideous.

The blue rings that ran around her arms as well as the patches that covered her elbows and knees glowed softly as she turned to face The Supreme One. The villainess had by now recovered from the surprise attack and was only even more infuriated. Kim was more than willing to add onto the anger.

"Hey Shego, are those crow's feet I see by your eyes?" she grinned.

Rather than showing a reaction to the verbal jab, the Supreme One merely flipped her hair back over her shoulder before speaking.

"So the real Kimmie actually did show up. That's fine, though I would have liked to teach blondie a lesson," she said nodding toward Camille. "You've turned out to be a second rate pawn and a real thorn in my side."

"What are you talking about?" Camille wondered.

"What, you think you're clever or something? You think that all of this was your plan? Or Drakken's plan? Do you honestly believe that either of you are smart enough to conceive the brilliance of bringing all of this together?"

"Um, can you be any vaguer?" Kim asked.

"You, Camille, were just my puppet. You danced to my tune, you did exactly what I wanted you to do. You got with the sidekick and broke up Team Possible. Just like I wanted. But then you had to go and prove what a complete failure and loser you really are. You couldn't even seduce that pathetic boy properly. So I had to step in and use the attitudinator on him to give Possible here a nice little distraction until I completed my plan. And you know what? It worked! Look at my other little puppet dance for me over there."

Kim and Camille saw Ron fighting Shego. It was a lot more even than it should have been. Kim knew from her experience with him and Yori that he had some kind of power that she couldn't even imagine. But she had never truly seen it manifest itself. Was he really some kind of master of mystical kung fu like Monkey Fist? If so why hadn't he ever shown it before? But watching him in action made her questions seem irrelevant. Seeing was believing. And right now she believed that he did possess some kind of ability that she knew next to nothing about.

As Camille watched this she began shaking her head. She was no one's pawn. She was the manipulator. Other people didn't control her. She didn't let them. It was the main reason why she lied. It was one of the reasons she kept other people at arm's length. Not only did she know for a fact that she was superior to everyone else, she knew that letting them get close to her would only result in pain. That's what life was all about. She knew that letting herself get attached to something or someone would only end with her losing it. It was better to use and manipulate everyone around her for her own benefit than to open up to them. When people opened up they only got hurt because of it.

Now she was hearing that she was the one being manipulated and controlled all along. She refused to believe it. She would deny it until the day she died. Camille Leon didn't get used. Camille Leon didn't get played. She played everyone else. That was her strength. That was her pleasure. That was her drug.

The Supreme One noticed the look of horror on the blonde's face and began laughing.

"What's wrong Camille? Did I strike a nerve? Is hearing the truth of your sad little existence really that bad for you?"

Kim hated to admit it, but she was actually getting a good deal of satisfaction from seeing Shego tear Camille down like this. She couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her lips. Someone had finally put that horrible sociopath in her place. She was just upset that it couldn't have been her doing it. But then another thought struck her. All of this manipulation, all of these ploys and games were the result of Shego's plan. But how was Shego standing right before her if she was fighting Ron at the same time?

She looked over at Ron and Shego once more before returning her attention to the Shego that stood before her.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly.

"I'm Shego. From the future."

Kim sighed as she shook her head.

"Wow, I'm just surrounded by crazy people…" she said as she glanced at Camille.

The blonde's hands were gripping the top of her head as she stared at the ground with wide eyes.

"Shut up…" Camille whispered. "Shut up… I don't want to hear you…"

Kim blew a strand of hair from her face as she raised her arms in preparation to fight Shego.

"Whatever," she said dismissively at Camille before looking back at The Supreme One. "The important thing is that you said that you're responsible for what happened to Ron. And that means that I am going to bring you down. You don't know what you've put me through. You don't know the torment I've had to live in for weeks because of you. Mark my words Shego, I am going to end you."

Kim saw The Supreme One's teeth as she grinned widely.

"Out there… in here…" she said softly.

"What?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Just words you'll never hear in this timeline. I made sure of that. You'd be amazed at how many different universes are out there. It all depends on when the timeline split."

"Okay, what's all this stuff about the future and timelines? Are you some unstable, and might I add really _old_ clone of Shego or something?"

The Supreme One looked past her at Dr. Drakken who was still standing next to the altar watching Ron and Shego fight.

"You still haven't figured out what the Tempus Simia does yet, have you?"

"No, but if you and every other villain wants it I figure it can't be good."

"What if I told you there was a way you could make all the drama and angst that's invaded your life in these past few weeks just disappear?"

"Then I'd say you're even crazier than you've made yourself sound."

The Supreme One knew very well how potent psychological warfare could be. She also knew how effective distracting a person was. If she could get Kim's mind focused on something else, wishing for something, she would be even easier to defeat. Having Kim think about getting the Tempus Simia to save Ron would throw her off her game. And it had a few extra perks as well.

"With the Tempus Simia you could travel back in time to before Camille came and completely ruined your life. Think about it. No Camille, no turning Stoppable against you, no attitudinator, no sexy adventure time for the sidekick…"

The words hit Kim like a sack of bricks. It made sense. Sort of. Time monkey. Did the time monkey really have the ability to travel through time? She couldn't think of any other possible explanation for its name or why the super villain community sought it so desperately. But then again why would Shego tell her this? Telling her what the idol only helped her.

"What's your angle here, Shego? Why are you telling me about that thing?"

"Okay I've had enough of the Shego talk. First of all, my name is the Supreme One. Well actually it's my title, but you will address me as The Supreme One regardless. Got it?"

"Someone's arrogant."

"Yeah, uh huh. I get it. You like your snippy little remarks. Second, I told you this because I want you to know the opportunity you're about to lose. It's not enough to just beat you. You have to know that there was a chance you could have saved your best friend, a chance you could have made everything right, and you let it slip through your fingers. I want to see the look on your face when I'm standing over your broken body with a boot on your neck and triumphantly holding the Tempus Simia idol before I go and get my rightful future back."

The words sounded disturbingly familiar. Her thoughts flashed back to the gymnasium where Camille told her that she got off on watching her world crumble around her when she knew it was coming. It was the same sick, twisted pleasure of watching a person suffer and knowing that they could do nothing to stop it.

Her thoughts turned to Ron now that she knew this information. If what Shego was saying was true then all of this could be erased. All of this could never happen. She and Ron could still be best friends. Ron would never get together with Camille. Ron's life would never be in danger. It was like a dream come true. She turned to see Ron still struggling in his fight against the other Shego. It was a painful mistake.

The Supreme One's fist crashed into Kim's jaw. The force behind the blow knocked Kim to the ground and had her skidding on her back for several feet. Had she not been wearing her new, experimental super suit she was sure that she would have lost a lot of skin. But the suit endured. Wade's genius had paid off once again.

She was slow to get to her feet and surprised that Shego had not pressed her advantage. But seeing the arrogant smirk on her opponent's face, Kim figure that she didn't think she needed to keep the pressure on. She would prove the villainess horribly wrong.

The Supreme One claws went ablaze once more as she threw a bolt of green energy at her hated teen nemesis. Kim was ready for such an event. One of the suit's defense mechanisms had been designed purely with Shego in mind. The suit's skin on Kim's right forearm morphed into a long basket similar to that of a lacrosse stick. She easily caught the energy blast in the basket and threw it back at its owner. The Supreme One had to leap out of the way of her own attack. She rolled neatly on the ground and was back on her feet in no time.

"Well well, I see that you got an upgrade in this timeline too," The Supreme One said. "Too bad you're still not in my league."

"Blah blah blah, stop talking about timelines. I don't break a sweat beating you here, and the same would apply to any other place."

"You go ahead and keep thinking that. But soon you'll learn that twenty years of practice goes a long way."

"Face it Shego. You're nothing without your plasma. Thanks to my upgrade as you called it, I don't even have to dodge it anymore. And I can throw it right back at you."

"Okay then," the villainess sneered. "Looks like we're doing this old school."

"You'd know all about _old_ school wouldn't ya, grandma?"

The villainess snarled as she charged at him with her hands still blazing. She struck left and right with her glowing claws, only for them to be deflected by Kim's hands and forearms. Each time she struck Kim's battle suit erupted with blue energy of its own. Clearly her own energy was not about to penetrate the advanced skin of the suit. She would just have to find another way to crush her teen foe.

The Supreme One threw another punch aimed at Kim knowing it would get deflected. As this was occurring she lashed out with her leg intent on putting it into Kim's sternum. The blow caught Kim squarely sending her back a couple steps. Not one to be deterred, Kim returned the favor as she spun around to deliver a savage kick of her own. Shego caught her leg and spun around to throw Kim behind her. The redhead landed hard in a crouch and looked up just in time to see another surge of green energy coming her way. She morphed her battle suit to catch it again, and again threw it back where it had originated. This time Shego was not expecting her assault to be countered though, and the blast hit her midsection. But it would take much more than that to knocker her out of the fight.

"Still haven't learned your lesson?" Kim smirked.

The Supreme One grinned in return. She hadn't felt pain like that in years. It made her feel alive again.

"What can I say? Old habits are hard to break. But you, you'll be easy."

Once the two women had recovered Kim sent a fist of her own at the villainess' face, but the older woman had not gotten to where she had been by being weak. Shego grabbed the extended arm and pulled Kim toward her as she fell backwards. Shego had been expecting the fall and so braced herself to land on her backside. Kim however was unprepared for the development and had only a fraction of a second to brace herself for the fall with her left hand. She was only partially successful, for while she landed hard on her left wrist, her forehead too came crashing down on the ground.

The Supreme One twisted and wrenched the arm that she still had a grip on against Kim's own body. She had the perfect leverage, as Kim was lying flat on her stomach while Shego had picked herself up and was kneeling beside the teen. The redhead cried out in pain as she felt like her arm was about to pop out of its socket. And then it came. Kim screamed as she felt her arm separate from her shoulder. Shego continued to put pressure on her which only resulted in further audible agony. But when it seemed she was about to black out from the pain of it all she suddenly felt relief. She could no longer feel Shego's body against her own. She stood as quickly as she could and saw that new players had arrived.

"Sorry to interrupt your little game," Dash said. "But maybe you should let the professionals handle this."

Kim saw Dash and Burn standing side by side as they faced down The Supreme One. A look to her right showed that the third member of Team Impossible, Crash, was with Junior kneeling down beside the still Monkey Fist. Kim remembered that he was skilled in emergency medicine. He was going to do what he could to help the injured super villain.

"I had everything under control," Kim protested. "Leave her to me. This is way too personal."

Dash slapped Kim on her right shoulder which resulted in her crying out in pain. Kim looked embarrassed that she had displayed such weakness in front of both Team Impossible and Shego. But there was no hiding the fact that she was indeed injured.

"You should get that checked out by Crash," he said calmly. "You're no good in a fight with a dislocated shoulder."

Kim hated letting her enemies and equals alike see her like this. She hated letting other people do what she felt was her job. And it was her job. This involved Ron. She had to save him. They didn't care like she did. They didn't understand the direness of the situation.

"But-"

Dash cut her off before she could continue.

"Do you want me to hit your arm again?"

Kim shot him a dirty look. It wasn't because of his arrogance. It was because he was right. She was useless against someone as powerful as Shego without one of her arms. Like it or not she had to sit out, at least for the moment. She had to let Team Impossible help her in more ways than one. She had to get her shoulder back into fighting shape before she could continue the struggle.

"Fine. You just hold her off until I get back."

"Hold her off? Please, Ms. Possible. Burn and I are going to wipe the floor with this second-rate villain."

Kim could only nod before she jogged over to where Crash was kneeling.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron ducked the swinging fist of Shego and sent one of his own in return. It too failed to land its mark. The two warriors had been fighting for several minutes now with neither able to gain an upper hand.

He lashed out with a hard kick, but rather than avoiding or deflecting the attack, Shego caught his boot. Ron stood there hopping on his left foot for a few moments before deciding to take a gamble. Imitating a professional wrestling move he had seen all too many times, he jumped up with his left leg to swing it at Shego's face. The blow connected with the side of the villainess' head sending her down to her hands and knees. Ron too landed on the ground but was much quicker to recover.

While she was still kneeling on the ground he swung furiously in hopes of knocking her out of the fight. She caught the fist with both of her ignited hands, searing the black leather off of his hand. His charred, ruined glove fell to the ground in ashes as he yelped in pain. He took a step back blowing on his burned hand. It was all that Shego needed.

A fierce uppercut was delivered to his gut. He doubled over gripping his abdomen. The same fist came crashing down on the side of his head, sending him down on all fours. He knelt there coughing and wheezing as he desperately tried to catch his breath. But she would have none of it. She viciously kicked him in his ribs, forcing him down onto the ground on his side. He clutched his body as he continued coughing.

Shego shook her head sadly at her fallen opponent. He had been doing well enough for a few minutes. But in the end he didn't have the stamina or experience needed to take her on. When she looked up she saw Kim next to Monkey Fist, Junior, and another man. Two other strangers who wore the same blue uniform as the other were currently battling her twin. She still didn't know exactly what was going on, but whatever it was it couldn't be good. She was still regaining her breath as she moved next to Dr. Drakken.

"Do you have any idea what's going on over there?" she asked.

He scratched the side of his head with his hand that wasn't holding the Tempus Simia.

"Well I only heard bits and pieces of it. Something about timelines and plans and crow's feet. But I'm sure I heard something about the Tempus Simia and time travel."

Shego frowned when she looked down at the grinning monkey idol. It reminded her of Monkey Fist. That arrogant, psychotic freak. Only he would be so deranged as to want something like this. She had heard his explanation about time travel. She still didn't want to believe it. But seeing a copy of her standing before her eyes said more than Monkey Fist ever could. It was real. It had to be.

"So what are we going to do with it?"

"I really don't know. There's that portal thingy back there," Drakken said pointing behind the altar. "Do you think we should go in it?"

"Hmm, the two of us walking into a mysterious portal, not knowing who or what is on the other side? Are you nuts? There's no way I'm going into that thing."

"Yes, me too. But still… what are we going to do with this thing?" he said as he hefted the idol in his arms.

"I suppose we should try to find out what Monkey Fist knows about it. And in order to do that we need to get rid of all these pests," she said as she looked at the numerous people who were inside the temple.

"I agree. But… how are we going to do that?"

"Easy. First we let them fight each other. Then when there's only one or two left they'll be weak. That's when-"

Her sentence was cut off as she screamed. It was more out of shock than actual pain. She looked down to see Ron on his stomach next to her. A syringe was stuck in her ankle.

"See you in two minutes," he grinned.

Shego was about to try to hit him but it was too late. Like the first time she had been injected with his tranquilizer, she fell to the floor and was out cold.

Ron stood up and brushed the dust and dirt off of his body. He looked at Drakken with a psychotic grin on his face.

"Looks like you and me have some alone time until she wakes up. Two minutes should be plenty for you to give me the idol. Now hand it over."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim knelt down next to Crash. He was still examining Monkey Fist's injured arm. He had had to rip open the black gi to see the full extent of the wound. The sight made Kim sick.

His arm at the elbow was bent the completely wrong way. The joint was swollen to an unbelievable extent. Worse still, tiny shards of bone were poking through the skin. Kim had never seen a compound fracture up close and personal. She was thankful that her mother was a brain surgeon and didn't have to look at this kind of thing on a daily basis. It was vile. Even through the glistening blood she could tell that the entire area was discolored dark purple.

Crash shook his head in frustration as he began bandaging the injury the best he could.

"This is beyond what I can do with the equipment I have here," he said angrily. Apparently he took great pride in his first aid skills. "I'll do what I can to stop the bleeding, but this man needs surgery."

Kim nodded absentmindedly. She wasn't focusing on his words. She couldn't get her eyes off of the horrific wound. She didn't even know how it had happened. But she had a good guess as to who was responsible.

Crash tore off his bloody gloves and looked up at Kim. He noticed her right shoulder slumping.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Dislocated shoulder. Do you think you-"

Kim cried out once more as Crash gripped and manipulated her arm. She heard and felt the slight pop of her arm returning into its proper location in its socket. After the initial pain had passed she tried to move her arm at the shoulder. Crash grabbed her once again to stop her.

"Wait," he said as he reached into a small pouch on his waist. He pulled out a tiny syringe.

Kim unconsciously backed away at the object. She remembered what had happened the last time someone had stuck a needle into her.

"What's wrong? Is the great Kim Possible afraid of needles?"

"No… no it's not that. Just the last time someone stuck me with one of those I was unconscious for three hours. I can't afford to have that happen again."

"Relax. It's just morphine. It will help make the pain in your shoulder go away so you can get back in the fight. You won't have your full range of motion back and there will still be some pain, but at least you'll be able to perform."

Kim nodded as she rolled up a sleeve of her battle suit. Crash reached back into his pouch to grab a gauze pad and rubbing alcohol. Kim grabbed his wrist and shook her head.

"No time for that. Just do it."

Crash frowned as he took the needle and stuck it in one of her visible veins. Kim winced at the slight discomfort but otherwise did nothing to show that she had felt any pain.

By now Junior had gathered the courage to speak. Seeing the horrors in front of him had made him speechless, and witnessing Kim being stuck with a syringe did nothing to help. He hated needles.

"Kim, what is going on?" he asked.

Kim could hear the very real fear in his voice. She couldn't blame him. She saw that Dash and Burn were getting battered by the Supreme One. She saw that the other Shego was on the ground and not moving. And she saw that Ron was walking menacingly toward Drakken.

"I… I don't have time to explain."

Without saying another word she rushed back deeper into the temple. She saw an opening. The Tempus Simia was there for the taking. She could reset everything. She could make things right again. Now, ironically, only Ron stood in the way of her getting their lives back… and saving his.


	21. Catharsis

Authors Note: A big thank you goes out to all the guys and girls who are supporting this story. Especially the shy ones. Without all of you this tale wouldn't be what it is. You continue to inspire me to try to do better. And thanks to Brandon for beta reading. You are a champion of light, and a defender of all that is good and decent.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

"_How could you know that behind my eyes a sad girl cried,  
And how could you know that I hurt so much inside,  
How could you know that I'm not the average girl,  
I'm carrying the weight of the world, yeah,  
So can you get me out of here?"_

_~Anneliese Van Der Pol, 'Over It__'_

XXXXXXXXXX

Drakken was backing away from Ron. Only a day earlier he had seen what the boy had become. He was as crazed and demented as any super villain out there. Maybe even more so. He knew that for all intents and purposes that Ron Stoppable was insane. He belonged in a mental institution. The fact that he was not only free to harm the public, but more importantly, free to harm him, sent chills through Drakken's body.

He desperately clutched the Tempus Simia with his left hand as he held out his right arm motioning Ron to stop. The attempt failed pitifully.

"Stay back!" he said. "I'm warning you! I have powers beyond your wildest imagination!"

"Smaller air vents!" Ron blurted out.

"W-what?"

"You're such a fool Darken! Dragon! Drakken! Whatever your stupid name is! See how it feels?" he grinned stupidly.

Drakken knew better than to question the mind of a psychopath. But he couldn't help wondering what Ron was talking about.

"Um… what are you talking about?"

"So Kim Possible can't break into a lair!" Ron explained. "Air doesn't care how small the shaft it. It's air. It will still go through. The shaft doesn't have to be big enough to fit a person inside. And if they're smaller then she can't crawl through them and get into a lair."

It was actually a very logical argument from an illogical mind. Drakken wasn't sure which was more surprising: the logic, or the fact that he himself had not thought to build his lairs with smaller air ducts.

He felt himself back against a wall. He had no where left to run. Then out of the corner of his eye he found his rescuer. He felt a mix of relief and disgust as he realized who it was.

Kim lowered her uninjured shoulder and rammed Ron off of his feet. The young man was sent flying several feet away from her and Drakken. The contents of his pockets spilled out onto the temple floor. Almost in an instant he was up on his feet again. Had Kim not known better she would swear that he was foaming at the mouth. But she knew that it was just his saliva.

"Drakken," she said coldly. "Give me the Tempus Simia. Now."

His eyes darted back and forth between her and Ron. The former teen hero was back on his feet and coming back at them. Just a few more seconds and they would be fighting each other rather than him.

"No."

"I said give me the-"

She was cut off again as Ron's fist smashed into her jaw. Her head whipped to the side and she fell to a knee from the impact. She looked up at him and saw his twisted smile. She saw his crazed eyes. She had something more to fight for now. She had to set things right.

Feeling no remorse as she did so, Kim lashed out with her left, uninjured arm. The uppercut caught him in his already injured ribs which sent him back wheezing once more. Not the least bit deterred, Ron was back at full height and ready to resume the fight.

He swung hard and wildly at her. He was either angry, tired, or perhaps both. Either way it gave Kim an advantage. The fact that she was wearing her battle suit only made things easier. Her enhanced strength and speed made dealing with Ron a lot easier than it would have been. Soon enough she had caught both of his fists in her palms and brought her eyes to stare into his own.

"Ron, you have to stop!" she pleaded. "You have to let me make things right! I have to use the Tempus Simia to make it so none of this ever happened!"

Ron's only reply was to spit in her face. Her mind went momentarily blank with rage. She kneed him in his gut as hard as she could. The blow sent Ron down to his knees as he again began gasping for air. He knelt there as he panted, desperately trying to suck enough oxygen into his lungs.

Kim turned her attention back to Drakken, who was by now farther away from her. It looked as if he was trying to escape the temple, but could not find a safe way around all of the people.

"Get back here!" she shouted.

In only seconds she had caught up with the mad scientist. After a brief struggle she had succeeded in ripping the Tempus Simia idol from his tiny hands. She held the stone statue in her hands with a look of child-like wonder on her face. This was the key to everything. It was the cause of all of her problems, and it was the solution. She looked back at the portal that still existed behind the altar.

Without even knowing that her legs were moving, she began running toward the portal. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Ron was on his feet and coming right toward her. There was no avoiding the impact. She put out her good arm to stop him.

He did not go for her arm. Instead he grabbed for the idol with both hands. Kim then resumed her two-handed grip on the statue as well. The two teens, once the best of friends, stood there struggling for the object that had torn them apart. It was a battle of good and evil. A battle of the past and the future. A battle of life and death.

"Let… go… Ron…" Kim said through gritted teeth as she fought desperately to hold onto her prize.

"Precious!"

"You're seriously going to make that reference at a time like this?" she shrieked. "Just give me the idol!"

Ron did no such thing. Instead he snarled and bared his teeth. He was about to lunge at her nose with his open mouth.

Then a third set of hands entered the fray.

A green fist came up from under the Tempus Simia idol. It flew high into the air as Kim and Ron both fell backwards from their efforts of trying to pull it from the others hands. For what seemed like an eternity it hung in the air. Kim had fallen onto her backside after she had lost her grip on it. She could only look on helplessly as the idol fell to the floor.

It shattered on impact.

A red starburst of energy shot out of the broken pieces of the idol. The temple itself shook with pain as it felt the idol die.

"No!" she screamed.

Terror seized Kim's heart as she saw her only chance to set things back to normal disappear. Her breathing became ragged and her lip quivered when she saw the portal disappear.

The Supreme One too looked up. She had been busy fighting first two, but then all three members of Team Impossible. She had had the upper hand against only Dash and Burn, but bringing a third highly skilled operative into the melee resulted in a stalemate. The look of horror on her own face made Kim's seem mild in comparison.

"You broke the time monkey…" she whimpered. "You broke the time monkey!" she repeated with the fury of an enraged lion.

"No!" Kim yelled. "I- I can fix it! Really!"

Apparently her words were of no consolation to The Supreme One. She looked down at her feet. They were no longer there. Slowly but surely, nothingness was travelling up her legs. She was a time paradox. She was impossible. And yet she somehow remained here because she had the conditions to return to where she had once existed. Her meddling in the time stream had sent her back with Kim and Ron to the first day of their junior year. But without the conditions for her to exist in this universe she could no longer be here.

Everyone in the room stared in shock and awe as they saw the second Shego disappearing right before their very eyes. At first the Supreme One had looked frightened. But she knew that she couldn't let that be their last glimpse of her. If she were to vanish from this universe she would ensure that the memory she left was not one of fright.

"Like I said, kids," she grinned. "There's an infinite number of timelines out there. I've been to plenty of them."

The last thing they saw before the nothingness consumed her was her dark, menacing grin. And then nothing remained.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kim had been so focused on the shattered idol and the woman vanishing in front of her that she didn't even realize that her world's Shego was standing only a few feet away from her. After the Supreme One had faded away she felt her legs getting weak. She fell to her knees as tears threatened to spill from her eyes when she remembered what the villainess had said. She wanted Kim to know what she would be losing. She wanted Kim to know that she had a chance to go back and fix everything. And now what was said had come true. She had let the opportunity slip from her grasp. Literally.

She turned to see Shego bracing herself against one of the walls of the temple. She may not have been unconscious anymore, but it was clear that she was still feeling the effects of the drug Ron had injected into her. Kim stomped over to her and roughly grabbed the older woman by the front of her green and black cat suit. She violently shook her to get the full attention of her still weary mind.

"Why did you do that!" she screamed. "Why did you destroy the Tempus Simia?"

Shego blinked hard as she tried to focus her eyes on Kim.

"Hands off, Kimmie," she growled. "I don't have to answer to cheerleaders."

"Then maybe you'd prefer to answer to my fist!"

Kim slugged Shego in the face. The villainess collapsed to the ground clutching her cheek.

"What is wrong with you!" she yelled. "You should be happy that you beat the bad guy. Well, the bad me. Badder me. Whatever she was. The point is that you should be happy little miss supreme is gone."

"Don't you realize what you've done? You've made it impossible for me to go back and save my friendship with Ron!"

"Why do you need a stupid monkey statue to do that?"

"Because… because it's complicated."

"Yeah, whatever. If your friendship was as good as you say it was then maybe you wouldn't need some lame excuse like time travel to fix it."

Life was so much easier when there was someone to blame. For Kim that was several people. The Supreme One, Camille, Drakken and Shego topped her list. They were the reason for every horrible thing that had occurred in the past several weeks. At least that's what Kim desperately wanted to believe. She didn't want to admit that her denial and involvement with the tracking chip had been a major factor in Ron turning against her.

What Shego said made sense. If her friendship with Ron was so wonderful then she wouldn't need to use the Tempus Simia to repair it. They had known each other since pre-K. They would endure. They just had to. Her thoughts immediately turned to him. He was still here. She had lost her focus on him when she saw the idol break. Time was desperately running out.

She turned and saw him kneeling before the stone shards of the idol. His great plan, the plan that he didn't even know the details to himself, was ruined. The same applied to every other villain in this room. Whether they knew the true potential of the idol or not, they had all wanted it for their own reasons.

"It's gone…" he grieved. "Gone! Gone gone gone! My beautiful monkey statue. I didn't mean the harsh things I said to you. Come back. Please, I'm sorry. Don't do this to me!"

The cries of the raving lunatic stung Kim's heart, but for different reasons than he would have wanted. She felt no sympathy for the fact that he believed he had lost a friend in the idol. She mourned for the loss of his sanity. The thing that Ron had become was nothing like her best friend. Now it was time to get him back.

"Ron, you're coming with me," she said as she raised her fists.

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. His right eye twitched as he stared at Kim hatefully.

"You did this to it!" he said accusingly. "You killed my best friend!"

Kim wanted to make a comment about how she felt the exact same way about him. The decaying of his mind was killing him; her best friend.

"Ron… it was a monkey statue. A lifeless monkey statue. You hate monkeys, remember?"

"No! I hate you!"

He stood up and ran at her with flailing arms. Kim desperately tried to block and evade the blows without striking back. She didn't want to harm him. And she didn't want to risk doing any damage to his head. His mind was in a fragile enough state as it was. There was no telling what might happen should he suffer a concussion or other kind of brain injury.

"Ron stop!" she pleaded. "Please! Let me take you to the jet and cure you!"

His response was a feral growl. That was perhaps the most frightening thing about his transformation; the loss of his humanity. She didn't know how he had come to have dried blood staining his mouth and chin, but she knew it had to be bad. She knew that he had tried to tear her nose off with his teeth when they had been struggling for control of the idol. The side effects of the attitudinator were far worse than what Jack Hench had told her. Maybe it was only in his case though, she had no idea what anyone else had gone through. But when Ron fought he was becoming little better than the mad dog he represented at school, or the monkeys he feared so much.

She continued blocking his strikes trying to get him under control. It wasn't much better than wrestling with a rabid wolverine. She had control of his wrists, but still he fought. The crazed look in his eyes terrified her more than any super villain ever had. And then… his eyes drooped.

His resistance began to wane. His body was starting to get heavy. He was no longer fully supporting his own weight. He was leaning on her as his eyelids fluttered. And then he was out cold.

Camille stood behind him with one of his syringes in her hands, one that had fallen out of his pants pocket when he had taken one of his latest falls.

Kim gently laid him on the floor of the temple. He looked surprisingly peaceful when he slept. His face held no resemblance to the beast he had become. Had his face not been stained red he would have looked normal. He would have looked like the Ron she knew and loved.

She looked up at her newest partner. She took the thought back immediately. The thought of that disgusted her. Camille was not her partner. They just had a common enemy.

"Thanks…" she said uncomfortably.

"Whatever," Camille shrugged.

The three members of Team Impossible came to stand beside Kim. They looked down at her unconscious former sidekick before turning to Drakken and Shego.

"So I see you two are out of prison again," Dash said. "I think it's time to take both you and Monkey Fist back into custody."

"I'd say that's a good return," Burn added.

"What did we discuss about the income tax puns?" Crash asked.

"Oh lighten up," Dash said. "Let the guy have his moment. He's not a survival or medical specialist like you and me."

"Hey! I'll have you know that being an accountant is very demanding work!" Burn protested. "I get more work than either of you two during tax season!"

"Anyway… Dr. Drakken and Shego, we are hereby placing you under arrest."

Shego's hands ignited as she set herself in a combat stance.

"Three against one? Figures that you nobodies would need odds like that to stand a chance."

Kim began to panic when she saw what was unfolding. They didn't have time for this. Ron didn't have time for this. They needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. She needed to get him to a secure location where he could be restrained once he woke up. She didn't know what would happen if the attitudinator was used on an unconscious mind, but she didn't want to find out. Therefore she had to not only tie him up, but find a way to secure his head so he couldn't smash the device when it was placed on his head.

She wanted to be angry at Camille for using the tranquilizer on him, but deep down she knew there was no other way to safely bring him back to the United States. She knew she couldn't risk injuring his head and knocking him out herself. And she knew that in his condition he would never come quietly. Right now was their best chance to return him to his normal, good, sane self.

"Guys, we don't have time for this," she told the trio of men.

They scowled back at her. Despite the fact that they were non-profit now, and that they were technically assisting her, they still didn't like being told what to do.

"This is a golden opportunity to rid the world of two of its most notorious super villains," Dash said.

"Yeah? And how long will it take to get Shego under control? I don't have time fight her, subdue her, and then bring her and Drakken onto your little jet. There will barely be enough room for Ron and Monkey Fist now that we're bringing the two of them along. Just let it go. Okay?"

The three men grunted their acknowledgement. They knew that she was right. She had informed them of Ron's condition earlier. Even if they did have time to capture Drakken and Shego they still had very little room on their hover jet. Capturing Monkey Fist would be considered a good day for anyone.

"Fine. Let's go."

Kim and Dash carefully picked Ron up from the floor and began carrying him out of the temple. Crash and Burn did the same with Monkey Fist, being extra careful not to aggravate his arm injury.

Camille glared at Junior as she walked past him following the rest of the team. Junior himself simply fiddled with his thumbs nervously before following her at a safe distance. He did not like this mission work. Already today he had seen fights, blood, madmen, and a disappearing Shego twin. If this is what being Kim Possible's sidekick meant, he wanted no part of it.

Left in the lair were two confused, if not grateful super villains. Shego may have been arrogant. She may have been a very skilled fighter. But she knew there was no way she could have taken on Kim and Team Impossible at the same time. She would have fought fiercely and maybe even taken a couple of the men down, but she would not have won. And then she and Dr. Drakken would have wound up in prison once again.

She folded her arms and looked at him. He was apparently just as nervous about the events that had taken place.

"So Dr. D, what now?"

"I don't know. I'm feeling pretty good about that liquidized EMP that I gave Camille to use at the museum to steal that diamond."

"Liquidized EMP?" Shego scoffed. "You didn't invent that. It's called water. You gave the chick water. And it shorted out the security console. How can you say you invented that?"

Drakken grunted in defeat.

"Well… I did have this plan involving synthodrones. But when I heard about what Camille could do I decided to scrap it for a new plan. But I guess it wasn't really my plan, now was it?"

Shego shrugged.

"I don't know. You heard more of their conversation than me. You think the other me was telling the truth?"

"Maybe. You don't just vanish into thin air like that unless there's at least some truth to what she was saying."

"Or you get sprayed with that Aurora Orchid stuff."

"Yes but I didn't have any of that with me. And the other you didn't get embarrassed."

"Whatever. You can come up with theories once we get back to the lair. How about we do that before Kimmie changes her mind?"

"Yes, good idea."

The two villains began walking towards the exit of the temple, their latest plan having failed. After only a few seconds Shego stopped and looked at her employer. He stopped a few feet ahead of her.

"Oh, and remind me to track Senor Senior Sr. down once we get back to the lair. The old man stole my jet."

"The green and black one?"

"Yeah. He managed to steal it and escape when I was knocked out, and while you were apparently cowering in fear after Stoppable stole the Tempus Simia."

He grunted at the accusation that he had been cowering.

"How did he even manage to do that?"

"Apparently the guy can fly. Remember he was piloting that helicopter when Junior and me teamed up at that cookie factory?"

"Oh… right. Good times. You learned that there are worse villains than me out there to be teamed up with."

Shego let a soft laugh slip out of her mouth at the thought.

"Yeah. Worse than you…" she said as she walked past him to the exit.

He didn't exactly like the sound of her response.

"Shego?" he called after her. "He was worse than me, right? Right?"

He quickly jogged after her.

The last two people exited the temple on their way back to Drakken's hover jet. Shego sighed as she looked back inside. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had she been more focused when she had attacked Kim and Ron. She had still felt woozy when she struck and had hit the Tempus Simia rather than her intended target of Ron. She wondered if she truly could have travelled through time. She wondered if she had been just one step away from total world domination.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron's eyes slowly opened to see a familiar room. He had been there many times. Even in his current state he could remember that. His vision was swirling around him, but he could still recognize the place. Just a few more seconds and it would all become clear.

It was Kim's kitchen.

But then he realized there was a problem. He couldn't move. At least not his arms and head. His eyes darted around to see that he was tied to a chair. Ropes secured his arms, legs and torso to one of Kim's kitchen chairs. And while he couldn't see it he knew that his head had been somehow immobilized as well. He desperately tried to move his neck, but to no avail. He figured it had to be duct tape.

He continued to strain and struggle in the grip of his restraints. He didn't seem to realize that he was making no progress. Had he been able to move his head he would have gladly chewed off his own limbs like a wild animal caught in a trap. But even that wasn't an option for him. He ceased his struggling when he heard Kim's voice.

"Stop it Ron," she said calmly.

His eyes looked to his right to see her standing there with her arms crossed. Her face betrayed no emotions that might be swimming in her head. She was all business.

His face was clean. He had not washed it in days. The henchman's blood that had been there for almost a day was finally cleaned off. He almost looked normal again. But he still did not act like his old self.

"Let me go!" he yelled.

"No. This ends today."

"I'll get out! I'm a genius! I'm a lyrical word-smith! I wrote the naked mole rap!"

"Believe me. You'll thank me once you're back to being yourself."

"I'll never thank you! You hear me? I remember what you did to me! I will destroy you Kim Possible!"

Kim shook her head sadly. She knew he wasn't himself. But it didn't change the fact that there still might be a hint of truth in what he was saying. He would still remember the tracking chip incident. What if he still held that against her? Even though he knew the truth about what Camille had done to both of them, the tracking chip didn't involve her. He had a big enough reason to still hold a grudge against her.

Camille came into the kitchen and handed the attitudinator to her. Kim moved closer to Ron as he thrashed in the chair. He knew what was coming. He knew that it would make him good again. And his twisted mind didn't want to be good. She remembered how he had told her how wonderful it was to live a life without fear or consequences. Of course he wouldn't want to go back to being normal. It would be like putting his mind in a cage. At least that's what it would seem like to him now. But once he was normal again he would know it was for the best.

His struggling increase as she put the device on his head. Camille moved to stand on the other side of him just in case something went wrong or Kim needed a hand. His eyes were wide with terror. They darted back and forth between the two girls before finally settling on Camille.

"Camille?" he sniveled. "Camille!" he repeated more forcefully. "Don't do this to me! Remember the good times? Remember us being partners? We can be partners again! Just you and me. No Kim, no Drakken, no Monkey Fist. No one else. And we can take over the world! Isn't that what you wanted?"

The blonde looked down at him sadly.

"No. I never wanted to rule the world. _You_ never knew what I wanted."

The fright left his face and was in an instant replaced with pure rage.

"Don't do this Camille!" he screamed. "If you flip that switch I'll never forgive you! You hear me? I will never forgive you for doing this to me! And I'll never forgive you for everything else you've put me through!"

She averted her solemn gaze to the floor. She stood there for a moment as he continued staring at her with the attitudinator stuck on his head. After a few seconds she looked back into his hateful brown eyes. She gave him a weak smile.

"I know. Nothing can change that now."

She flipped the switch on the side of the attitudinator. His body convulsed violently as the machine did its work. The fragile, glowing glass bulb emptied its blue energy back into the helmet which in turn travelled back into his mind. Even against his restraints it was hard for his body to not shake. Camille didn't know what it felt like to have the attitudinator do its work. But from Ron's reaction it could not be comfortable.

After several seconds he stopped moving. The bulb was empty and the attitudinator had apparently shut off.

Kim looked hopefully at him as he sat in the chair with his eyes closed and his head slumped forward. It had to have worked. She didn't know what she would do if it didn't. As if the twisted device was reading her thoughts, the attitudinator began to fracture once more. Like it had done in Drakken's lair months ago it split in two and fell off of his head. When it hit the floor it shattered into hundreds of pieces along with both empty glass bulbs. The last attitudinator in the world was no more.

Kim's heart skipped a beat. This was it. This was the point of no return. It either worked or it didn't. Ron was either going to live or die. The anticipation was gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She had to know.

"Ron?" she asked weakly.

A pair of tired, grief-stricken eyes slowly looked into her own.

"Hey KP…" he almost whispered.

She didn't need to see or hear anymore. Kim leapt at him and grabbed hold of his body in an immense bear hug. He could do nothing to return the embrace with his arms still bound to the chair. He couldn't even rest his head against her as she openly wept on his shoulder. All he could do was sit there. All he could do was cry as well. And he did.

They both sat there for long moments as they cried for everything they had almost lost. They cried for everything they had been through. And for everything they had saved. Somehow, someway, they were going to get things back to normal. They were going to be friends again. They had endured and conquered.

"I'm sorry…" he sobbed.

Kim pulled back to look into his tearful, sorrowful eyes. She saw how bloodshot they were. She didn't know the last time he had slept. She figured it might have even been days. And the crying did nothing to help his appearance.

"I'm sorry…" he repeated. "I'm so sorry…"

He continued to repeat those words as he wept. He couldn't control himself even if he wanted to. He had been aware of all of his words and actions since he had been changed on Thursday. He had heard himself say the horrible things he said to her. He had seen himself commit the horrible actions to her and everyone else. He remembered the night he had spent with Camille. Without the attitudinator making him immune to remorse and guilt, the memories that came flooding back threatened to overwhelm him. It hadn't been some separate entity in his mind that had done everything. It had been him. And he knew it.

Thanks to the traveling to and from Africa it was now a very early Tuesday morning. It was still several hours until sunrise. Kim thought for sure that she would lose him thanks to Jack Hench's deadline. She was thankful that it had turned out to be five days rather than four.

She understood how he was feeling. While it was true that she herself had never been turned evil, she tried to imagine what was going on in his head. She knew that he was a good man. He would never have willingly said and done the things that he had. Seeing his breakdown only further confirmed what she already knew. He didn't hate her. He didn't hate anybody. He didn't have an evil bone in his body.

She cut through the ropes around his body and the duct tape that secured his head. Finally free from his bonds he wrapped his arms around her body and continued to cry. The aura of pain he was emitting was staggering and she felt herself crying with him, for him. But she knew that now was not the time for her to feel sad. She had to be there to comfort her best friend. She had nearly lost him on two separate occasions. She wouldn't let it happen again.

She held his head against her left shoulder and rested her own head against his.

"I'm here Ron," she whispered comfortingly. "I've always been here. And I always will be."

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille saw the display of emotion between the two reunited best friends and tried to feel nothing. She didn't want to feel anything. She was working hard to ensure she didn't. But it didn't matter. Whether she liked it or not her emotions were getting the better of her. And she hated letting that happen.

A wave of depression hit her as she saw the two continue to embrace each other. It was so typical. She had worked hard to try to help him. And what thanks did she get? None. Neither of the two teens had so much as looked at her during their pathetic little display of sorrow and forgiveness. This is what she got for reaching out to help others. This is what she got for feeling empathy. She got nothing but pain and betrayal. Just like her friends who had only liked her for her fame and money. Just like everyone at Middleton High School. Just like Ron who had used her for his own evil scheme.

Kim saw the heiress wander out of the room as she continued to hold Ron. She didn't care though. She wasn't about to let go of him until he asked her to. Camille's actions didn't matter to her the least bit. She could go over to the United Kingdom and steal the Crown Jewels and spray paint graffiti on Buckingham Palace. And she wouldn't respond to a mission call until Ron said it was okay for her to go.

They sat with each other for a good five minutes of silence, save the sobs they unashamedly let out. But finally Ron looked up at her, the tears in his eyes mostly gone from being shed on her battle suit.

"Kim… I'm really tired."

She smiled down at him. If anyone deserved to sleep it was him. And she would do nothing to deprive him of his wish.

"Come on. I'll set you up in the guest bedroom."

She took his hand and led him to the room he had slept in plenty of times before. They had come back from missions late at night so many times that it was much easier for him to just spend the night there rather than going home and waking his parents up. Kim's guestroom was his home away from home. At least the part of his home that he slept in.

It took only a few seconds after his head hit the pillow for him to fall asleep. She looked down at him and knew that things were going to be okay. Finally, after so many weeks of torment, things were going to be okay. It was no trick this time. It wasn't one of Camille's disguises. It wasn't an act. It was real. He was real. He was back. And she was determined to never let anything ruin their friendship again.

Kim went back downstairs and headed toward the bathroom. She personally wanted to see the extent of the damage to her right shoulder. While Crash had put it back in place, she wanted to know if it had swollen or left any kind of ugly mark. She was surprised to see who was in there.

Camille was slumped against the wall inside the bathroom. Her head rested against the wall. She looked utterly depressed and defeated. Had Kim not seen her chest moving she would have sworn that the girl was dead. She was thankful that that wasn't the case, even if it was Camille.

Kim took a few steps until she was at the doorway of the bathroom. She stood there looking down at her foe. The girl didn't seem to know or care that a pair of penetrating emerald eyes were staring into her.

"Look, Camille…" she said as her expression turned as hard as stone. "I will never forgive you for what you've done to us. You've put Ron and me through more suffering than you could ever imagine. And someday I will bring you to justice for all the crimes you've committed. But… for what it's worth… thank you for helping me save his life."

Camille snorted a cynical laugh as she finally looked up to meet Kim's withering glare.

"Just shut up, Kim. I didn't do this for you."

"I know. You did it for yourself. For revenge and all that stuff."

"No. I did it for him."

"What…?" she asked skeptically.

Camille broke eye contact with her and stared at the wall opposite of her.

"He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to die. And seeing how I was going to lose him either way, it was better for him to be alive and good than evil and dead. He was better when he was good."

Kim wanted to laugh. It sounded so absurd coming from Camille's mouth. She honestly wasn't sure if any of what she was saying was true. She never could fully tell.

"What are you talking about? It's not like you ever really cared about him in the first place," Kim protested. "Now suddenly you actually think you can convince me that you had his well-being in mind?"

Camille looked down at her lap and studied the camouflage of her cargo pants as she spoke.

"No. No, you're right. I don't care about him," she said softly. "I just didn't want to see someone get killed because of something I played a part in."

That sounded more like the girl that Kim had come to know.

"That's what I thought," she agreed. "I honestly don't believe you're capable of caring about anyone except yourself. You've done nothing but manipulate everyone you've met since coming to Middleton. And you did it all to get at me. Thanks to your selfishness you nearly got Ron killed."

She shot a glare back up at Kim.

"I didn't nearly get anyone killed! I would never want to kill him!" she yelled. "Shego did! She's the one who used me!"

She felt her heart racing as her breathing became more and more rapid.

As Kim watched and listened to her she saw that Camille was transforming. She looked with horror as she took on the appearance of Shego.

"That's right Camille, I played you," the villainess laughed. "You're no better than a used condom lying on the floor of a sleazy motel. Kinda like the one that's still in the trashcan in your room. The one you gave Ron when he used you too."

"Shut up!" Camille yelled.

Kim could only watch in silent dismay as Camille continued to change before her eyes. She saw herself next.

"Your little game is over. You lost," Kim's face said. "Try not to cry about it. I told you that I'd win. I told that you Ron would never want to be with a sociopath like you. And now look at yourself. You're pathetic."

"No! I don't want to hear you right now!"

"The truth kinda sucks, doesn't it?" Bonnie's face snickered. "It's all starting to unravel. I told you that your stupid little plan with Stoppable wouldn't work. But did you listen? Of course not. Face it; you're doomed to live your pitiful little life without anyone who truly likes you for you. We both know how many guys you've slept with trying to feel what it's like to be loved. You'll never find anyone who cares about you."

"Shut up! Get out of my head!"

The voices laughed at her pain.

"Whore!" Bonnie's face screamed.

"Psycho!" Kim's added.

"Bitch!"

"Coward!"

"Freak!"

"Shut up!" Camille screamed as she slammed her head against the bathroom wall. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

Kim watched as the villainess began to smash her head against the wall repeatedly.

"Camille!" she shrieked. "Stop!"

She did not stop. She continued bashing her head against the wall screaming for the voices to get out of her head. Kim heard her parent's voices from upstairs wondering what was going on. Apparently words alone weren't going to stop what was going on. She rushed over to try to restrain Camille. It was too late.

The seventh time was the charm. After slamming her head the seventh time she had succeeded at knocking herself out. Her head slid down against the wall as her body fell to the floor, unmoving. Kim was at her side in an instant as she put a hand underneath the blonde's head to try to prop her up.

"Camille?" she said worriedly. "Camille wake up!"

Her eyes widened when she noticed a patch of red liquid growing larger in Camille's blonde hair.

"Oh my God…"

Kim rushed out of the bathroom to grab the nearest phone and call an ambulance.


	22. Star Crossed

Authors Note: Well here it is. The final chapter. And it's a big one. I could have broken it down into two chapters and made you wait longer to learn the ending, but I do enjoy spoiling my readers. It's an early Christmas gift to you all! Thank you again to all the fans of this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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XXXXXXXXXX

"_Go with your heart, buddy. Our brains only screw things up."_

_~Chuck Bartowski_

XXXXXXXXXX

Eyelids slowly slid open to reveal a new room. An unfamiliar room. A room which oozed with misery and pain. At least that's what the smell told her.

She did not know how she had gotten here. She did not know why there was a small tube in her arm. And she did not know why her head was bandaged. She blinked several times as pieces of equipment and furniture were starting to look more and more familiar. It was a hospital room.

Camille looked to her left to see a heart monitor emitting steady beeps. It was then she realized that her head hurt a bit. She was dizzy. She had initially thought that her weariness had been because she had just woken up. But it was not going away.

She laid her head back down on the pillow, unable to keep it up any longer. Memories began flooding back into her mind. Memories of being with Kim and Ron at her house.

Kim had seen her when she was most vulnerable. She had seen the dark recesses of her mind that she tried to keep away from everyone else. Camille felt angry at the thought. She had been unable to control her weakness. That was the only way she was ever willing to describe it to herself. It was a weakness. Being at times unable to have full control over her thoughts and emotions made her sick. And Kim had seen it. She wondered how the teen hero would use it against her in the future.

Camille looked to the open door on the left side of the room. She knew it lead outside into the hallway. There were people talking out there. She had no idea how long she had been here or how long she had been asleep. A grim smile formed on her lips. She hadn't been asleep. She had knocked herself out smashing her head against the wall. That would explain the bandage at least.

She wondered briefly who had been the one to bring her here, or at least been the one to call an ambulance. But her question was immediately answered. She knew it was Kim. It had to be her. Kim was a hero. She had rubbed it in her face in the past. Despite the fact that Camille was a villain, Kim would not let her die. She may have talked a big game when they were discussing going to Africa to save Ron. She may have said that whatever danger Camille got in was her own fault and at her own risk. But Camille knew deep down that Kim would never let any true harm come to her. It wasn't in Kim's nature. Good or evil, she would save a person in need.

Her thoughts turned to Ron. He was better now. She smiled knowing that to be true. He deserved to be good. Evil didn't suit him. Despite the fact that he was very good at it, he was simply not meant to be evil. Even if his mind had not been decaying, Camille knew deep down that it wasn't a lifestyle he was meant for. She thought back to when they had been dating and how nice he had been to her. That was the real Ron Stoppable. That personality deserved to survive. That was the personality that had liked her for her. He had in fact liked two of her; he just didn't know it at the time.

She wondered where he was right now. In fact she still wondered what day it was. Would he be at school? Was he still sleeping in Kim's guest bedroom? They were questions that she wanted to know the answers to, but at the moment were just out of reach. She knew that her cell phone would not be on her person. Looking underneath the covers she saw that she was in a flimsy hospital gown. Her thoughts immediately turned to how she had come to have it on. But she figured that it had to be standard procedure. And she was sure that it would have been a female nurse.

She couldn't help but still feel utterly devastated by what the Supreme One had told her. She had been the puppet master all along. Camille had been a toy. She was so used to being the one in charge, the one manipulating others. To learn that she had been manipulated herself made her feel angry. It made her feel helpless and violated. She briefly wondered if this is what her own victims felt like. She wondered if Ron had felt this way when he had learned the truth.

She glanced to the open door again. Nobody had come in since she had awoken. It was probably because nobody knew that she was awake. She wondered if anyone had come to visit her. She wondered if anyone cared. She rolled her eyes as she mentally chastised herself for such wishful thinking. Who would ever visit her? Who would even care? The cheer squad? Maybe. Certainly not Kim or Bonnie. Kim knew the true her, and Bonnie despised her for purely social reasons. And there was no way that Ron would ever visit her.

She frowned as she grabbed the small pager that was attached by a cord to her bed. She was hungry. And she would at least get somebody's attention by pressing the button.

It took around a minute for a man wearing a white coat to enter. In one of his hands was a clipboard, she figured he had to be a doctor. Maybe he could answer some of her questions.

"Ms. Leon," he smiled. "I'm Dr. Percival. I'm glad to see you're awake."

"Yeah," she agreed. "So how long was I out?"

"About four hours. You're very fortunate you had someone who was with you at the time of your injury. Had it gone untended to until the morning things could be a lot worse. She must be a good friend of yours. And it's actually quite remarkable that her mother is who she is."

Her thoughts turned back to Kim. She smirked at the doctor's assumption that she and Kim were friends. Nothing could have been further from the truth. But what was that about Kim's mother?

"What are you talking about?"

"Dr. Anne Possible is a neurosurgeon. She's the one who will be overseeing your treatment."

The morbid irony of it all threatened to make Camille burst out in a fit of laughter. But she restrained it the best she could. Her head still hurt. And she didn't want the doctor to ask any questions about it.

"Great," she sighed.

"By the way, you have a visitor waiting outside. He's been here for a couple of hours."

Camille shot him a questioning look. She actually had a visitor? Someone who had been waiting for two hours? She didn't dare hope it was who she thought it was. But if it was, she didn't know what she would do.

"Can he come in?" she wondered.

"Yes, of course. Excuse me for a moment while I go get him."

The man walked out of the room leaving Camille alone. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation of who it might be. But at the same time she hated getting her hopes up. Hope was the first step on the road to disappointment. Hope made you vulnerable. And that only led to getting hurt. She did her best to push the feelings out of her head. Around a minute later she heard footsteps approaching her room.

The doctor came in first. Behind him was the last possible person she would have expected.

"Camille, it is good to see that you are well," Senior smiled.

Her heart dropped. Her teeth grinded. She did her best to maintain a normal breathing pattern. This was not the person she had expected to see.

"He said he's your grandpa," the Dr. Percival explained. "It's good to have family at a time like this. You're lucky that he was able to come at this hour, Camille."

Again, she just wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. If only the doctor knew how she felt about her family.

"May I ask what happened to her?" Senior asked.

"Since you're family, yes," he said. "But of course, Camille is a legal adult. Because of doctor-patient confidentiality I am only allowed to share this information with you if she agrees to it. What do you say, Camille?"

She quite honestly wanted to know what exactly her situation was as well. All she knew was that she had knocked herself unconscious, and apparently had caused her head to bleed. But she had no idea about the extent of the injury. And she didn't want to make a big fuss about the man who was her grandfather. It would seem suspicious to the hospital staff, and Senior knew things. He knew all kinds of terrible things about her. She couldn't risk alienating him when she was in such a vulnerable state.

"Sure. Let's hear it," she shrugged.

"Well…" Dr. Percival said as he flipped a page on his chart. "We've diagnosed you with a grade III concussion. You had a loss of consciousness for a little over four hours. We've already begun the process of treating the injury, but it will take a long time before you are fully recovered from this."

"Oh my," Senior gasped. "And what about the bandage on her head?"

The doctor nodded as he continued his explanation.

"The young woman who brought Camille in said that she sustained the injury by hitting her head against the wall. The blunt force caused a large laceration over her left temporal plate. There was a lot bleeding. But of course with head wounds there will always be a lot of blood, making the injury look worse than it actually is. This is not to say that the wound is not serious, we must be thorough in cleaning and sanitizing it regularly to prevent infection. We actually had to put quite a few stitches into it in order to close it up."

Senior looked down worryingly at his granddaughter. Next came the obvious question that was on his mind.

"Do you know how exactly she received this injury?"

Dr. Percival looked at Camille, wondering if he should go on to reveal what he knew. Or at least what Kim must have told him. Clearly he was not sure if Camille wanted the details of the cause of her injury to be revealed at this time. She shook her head softly to indicate her response.

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to disclose that information at the moment."

"I see," he frowned. "If you do not mind, I would like to speak with my granddaughter alone. I am sure that she would like somebody to keep her company."

"Of course, sir. If you need anything you can use the pager."

Dr. Percival turned and left the room before closing the door behind him. Senior pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down. It was time for them to reveal their true selves.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I heard that you had been taken to the hospital. I rushed down here as soon as I could."

"And who told you this?"

"Junior did. I must say that I am surprised that he knew himself. Do you have any idea how he could have come to know this in such a short amount of time?"

She knew. Junior had been getting close to Kim over the past couple of weeks. For one reason or another she must have told him. Maybe it was because she knew that Camille was linked to his and Senior's kidnapping. If only Kim knew how closely they truly were linked.

"Yeah. Your little evil protégé has been Kim's sidekick for the past two weeks," she smirked.

She had hoped to get some kind of painful reaction from the old man by revealing this information to him. To Senior, his son becoming Kim Possible's sidekick would be a terrible blow to his evil future. It simply spit in the face of villain tradition. But to her surprise it didn't work.

Senior sighed when he heard the news, but not as much as she would have liked.

"I am afraid I must admit that I am not surprised," he said sadly. "After I escaped Dr. Drakken's lair and found Junior, he expressed to me his disinterest in continuing the hobby of villainy. After seeing our lair… destroyed," he said uneasily. "Junior said that he no longer wanted to participate in the activities. He said that he had begun to find out who he really was. He said that he was no longer ashamed to admit it."

Camille didn't know what he meant by that. She figured that maybe he had fallen in love with Kim or something like that. It would certainly ruin his desire to be a super villain. And it would certainly qualify as finding out who he really was, and no longer being ashamed to admit it. But she simply did not know if this was the case.

"Whatever," she said uninterestedly. "So back to my question. Why are you here?"

"Because… because you are family," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Family must be there for each other."

"Yeah, you really knew how to be there for your family."

"We have been over this back at Dr. Drakken's lair. I know that I have made mistakes, but I did what I thought was best at the time. I truly apologize for not being there for your mother and you."

For her that simply wasn't good enough. Her parents had been emotionally distant. Her father had been physically distant as well. He had never been around much when she was growing up. To know that she had a grandfather, a wealthy grandfather who lived on a private island with only his son, had given her a spark of hope. She thought that maybe she could have lived with him, maybe he could have been the family that she had not had. But of course he had ignored her too. He had been far too busy with Junior to ever care about his own daughter and granddaughter. Knowing what could have been fueled her hatred for him more than the incident at the Billionaire's Club.

"Yeah? Well sorry can't make up for it. Blowing up your lair is only the beginning of what I'm going to put you through, grandfather."

Rather than hurting him or making him angry, Senior just grinned.

"Yes, I can only imagine what dastardly plans you have in mind for me," he said excitedly. "I personally cannot wait to see what lengths you will go to for your evil revenge. Revenge is the noblest of all villain traditions."

Camille let out a sigh of disbelief as she shook her head. The old man was even crazier than she was.

"You… you're just nuts…" she groaned. "You can't even accept the fact that I can't stand the sight of you. You just get all excited and gush about how evil I am!"

"How can I not? It is thrilling to know that my own flesh and blood has what it takes to carry on my evil legacy. While Junior may not be capable of it, it is obvious that you are."

"Great. This again…"

"I implore you to reconsider my offer. I know that I cannot change the past, but I can do my best to make up for it. I want to spend time with you. I want to be the family that you were denied growing up. And I want to teach you my evil ways, and for you to teach me yours. Your methods are quite unorthodox and are not in any of my books of villainy. What do you say, Camille? Will you be my evil partner in crime?"

Family. Care. Love. They were the things she had wanted for so long. Senior was offering them to her unconditionally; even after all she had done to him. He was willing to be there for her.

She had tried to fill the voids in her life. She knew she was not unique in what she did. Like she had told Ron weeks earlier, she had had the best education money could buy. She knew a bit about the study of psychology. The core of her issues was not uncommon in many other teenagers of her generation. She had tried to fill the voids in her life with sex, lashing out at and manipulating others, stealing, and other petty crimes. They were textbook cries for attention and validation. She could even consider her entire public persona as a way to make people pay attention to her. She had desperately tried to cling to Ron when he had dumped her because she had felt his genuine care for her when they were dating. And she had continued to cling to him after he had been turned evil. She craved the feeling of being wanted by others. Maybe Senior could provide what she wanted.

But she wasn't about to make it easy for him. She turned her head to face away from him.

"I'll think about it," she said softly.

"Wonderful," he smiled. "It fills my heart with joy to know that you are at least considering my offer. I promise you that you will not be disappointed if you accept. Together we can eliminate Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, and win this game of heroes and villains."

Despite her best efforts, she smiled at his mention of it being a game. That's what it was to her after all. It was a game. It had always been a game. Ruling the world meant nothing. She was in it to have fun. And more importantly, she was in it to get what she wanted in life.

"One of them at least," she smiled as she stared out the window of her room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thursday was Ron's first day back at school since being changed back. He had slept most of Tuesday in Kim's guest bedroom. His complete lack of sleep, along with the mind-altering affects of the attitudinator had left him completely drained of energy. He couldn't have stayed awake to talk with her even if he wanted to.

He had elected to stay home Wednesday. He wasn't faking being sick like he usually did. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth of the matter was that he felt physically ill by the things he had done and said. He had hurt a great many people with his actions and words. The most unforgivable among these was what he had done to Kim.

But now on Thursday he knew that he had to get back into his regular routine. He couldn't simply stay home for the rest of the school year and hope things would go away. He wondered if anyone knew that it was he and Camille who were responsible for Mr. Barkin's car. He wasn't sure that the stern administrator would believe their story. In the end Ron decided it would be best to not bring it up to anyone who didn't already know.

As he entered the cafeteria he braced himself for a barrage of strange and fearful looks. He did not know who knew what about what he had done. To his relief the people ignored him. It had never felt so good to be shunned. For once in his life his lack of popularity was to his benefit. Only three pairs of eyes bothered to look his way. He noticed that all three of the people were smiling as well.

Ron made his way to his old lunch table, the one he had sat at before things had gotten ugly with Kim, before he had elected to sit with Camille. He took his usual seat. No one said a word.

"Um… hi?" he said worriedly.

Felix couldn't contain himself. He began chuckling through his wide, toothy grin.

"Dude, it's good to have you back," he said happily.

Monique smiled as she leaned across the table to stare into his gentle eyes.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" she said in mock anger. "We were worried sick about you!"

"Trust me… I would never willingly do all the things I did to you guys. To everyone for that matter," Ron said softly.

He turned his attention to Kim, who simply smiled as she looked at him.

"Kim… I don't know how I can ever make up for all the things I did to you."

She shook her head gently before speaking.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she told him. "You weren't yourself. Jack Hench told me what the attitudinator does to a person. We could never blame you for the things that happened."

Ron nodded absentmindedly. They may have been willing to forgive him. But he wasn't willing to forgive himself. While it was true that the attitudinator had severely altered his thought process, his entire brain function in fact, he had still done horrible things. He remembered them all vividly. Every word, every violent and hateful act, every passionate touch…

He had finally achieved what every teenage guy wanted. He was no longer a virgin. It was something that he had doubted would ever happen in his near future. Being a social pariah made any likelihood of ever having sex seem impossible. But he had done it. With a beautiful girl no less. It hadn't been him though… only it had been him. It was him who had done it all. His mind, his body, his desire. He still couldn't help but feel cheated of it though. Part of his brain was telling him to just shut up and accept it. He had slept with a hot blonde cheerleader. Most guys in his school could only dream of doing that. And yet the other part of him felt like it wasn't real. Nothing about his relationships with Camille had ever been real. The first had been a lie from the beginning. And the second was only because he was evil. But why did being evil make him want to be with her again? It didn't make sense to him.

He reached into his bag and pulled out his sandwich. He silently took a bite of it at his stared down at the top of the table.

"Something tells me you're not convinced," Kim said as she watched his response to her reasoning.

He swallowed his food as he looked back up at her.

"Why do you say that?"

"Ron, we really need to start being honest with each other. Lying and distrust is what got us in this mess in the first place. The tracking chip, Camille, all that stuff. If I had been honest with you from the start about the tracking chip, you never would have… kicked me out of your life like you did," she said uneasily. "And if you had trusted me about Camille, she never could have turned you against me like that. It's both of our faults. That's why we have to make sure to never let it happen again."

Now that was something he could agree with.

"Yeah. No doubt about it."

"That's why we can't start lying to each other again," she continued. "Don't tell me you believe what I said before if you don't. Even a little lie like that could lead to another disaster. I don't know how, but lately there have been a lot of things happening that I never would have thought possible."

He nodded grimly at the truth she was speaking.

"You're right," he agreed. "And you're right about me not buying what you said. No matter what you say, I'm going to feel guilty about everything. I'm going to feel responsible for everything I did. And I'm going to hate myself for a long time."

Felix gently placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"You can't do that to yourself. I mean, guilt is part of life. I understand that. But you can't just hate and not forgive yourself for something like this. It wasn't you, remember? It was… well I don't even know exactly. It was you without any goodness. And Ron without goodness just isn't Ron."

Ron smiled at his friend's gesture.

"I know, man," he smiled sadly. "Deep down I know all that. And I know that I can't just secretly run off to somewhere like Yamanouchi because I'm having problems in life. I have to face my problems. They're just something I'm going to have to get over. It will take time. For now though I think I'm entitled to feel like a piece of garbage."

"And you don't have to go through this alone," Kim said. "We're all here for you. We're all your friends and we want to help. Never forget that. Okay?"

He nodded again. But this time it was because he believed it too.

"Thanks KP," he smiled. "I remember what you said Tuesday morning. I won't forget it."

She returned the smile before she saw another person moving to their table.

"Am I interrupting a moment?" Bonnie asked sarcastically.

Felix and Monique frowned at her rudeness. Kim on the other hand was used to her attitude. She, unlike Felix and Monique, had been going to school with Bonnie for nearly her whole life. She expected the lack of sympathy from the brunette.

"As a matter of fact, you are," she said harshly. Just because she expected such an attitude didn't mean she couldn't be upset over it.

"So what, is Ron done being all confused or whatever he was?" she asked. "I always thought he was a bit confused…" she smirked.

"Bonnie…" Kim warned.

But to everyone's surprised Ron began laughing. They all looked at him in bewilderment, not quite understanding what he found funny about what Bonnie had just said. The implication alone would have been insulting. But her nonchalant attitude toward his near death should have made Ron even angrier. But then again, Bonnie didn't truly believe that anyone involved in Kim's mission work could ever die.

"What's so funny?" Bonnie wondered.

"If only you knew how wrong you are…" he chuckled. "Even if it was a joke."

Kim's eyes widened a bit with sudden understanding. She knew what Ron meant. She was in fact one of only three people who knew what he was talking about. But she figured that he wouldn't go around telling people about it. He may have been boastful and narcissistic at times, especially when he was trying to fit in with the popular crowd. But she couldn't imagine him talking about his experience with Camille.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing," he smirked. "Just forget about it."

"Whatever," she said as she turned back to Kim. "So where has Camille been anyway? I need to start getting some payback on that manipulative little-"

"She's not coming back anytime soon," Kim cut her off. "Don't worry about it."

"What? Don't worry about it? That freak ruined my life!"

"She's in the hospital at the moment. She…"

Kim stopped herself from speaking any further. Only she and a few certain members of the hospital staff knew exactly what had happened early Tuesday morning. She may have hated Camille more than any other person on the planet. She may have felt a burning desire to vengeance in her heart. But above all else, Kim knew one thing to be true. She was a good guy. She was a hero. And she would not resort to Camille's smear tactics and mind games in order to make herself feel better. What she knew about the blonde was very personal and potentially damaging. But she would not feel right spreading that information amongst her classmates. She wasn't like Camille. She didn't want to ruin people's lives.

"Whatever," Bonnie huffed. "Seems like a convenient excuse. She knew that I would take her down. She knew that I would put her in her place. And now she's hiding in some hospital bed? Yeah, like that's not totally intentional."

Kim's chest heaved with a small laugh. If only Bonnie knew the true reason Camille wasn't at school. If only she knew how easily Camille could destroy her like she had nearly done to Kim.

Seeing how her prey had slipped from her grasp, Bonnie quickly changed the subject.

"So why did Brick get suspended?" she asked nobody in particular. "I mean, not that I still care about that cheating pig. I'm just curious."

"Because people think he smashed up Mr. Barkin's car with a tire iron," Monique said.

"What do you mean, they 'think'?"

"It was Camille," Kim said. "She did it while disguising herself as Brick. We're not really sure why either."

She turned to look at Ron who was remaining silent on the topic. She figured that he knew. But he wasn't talking. Maybe he just didn't want to say in front of Bonnie. She would remember to ask him later.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief.

"Wow. That chick is seriously messed up,"

Kim wanted to agree. But like what Ron had just done, she figured that it was best to stay silent for now.

XXXXXXXXXX

Camille sighed as she flipped through the channels.

"This hospital is like, so ghetto," she said to herself.

There was nothing good on TV. And how could there be? The place only had basic cable. She was used to far more variety at her home.

It had been around a day and a half since she had spoken with her grandfather. His offer was still fresh in her mind. Part of her truly wanted to forgive him and join him in a life of villainy. She did think, however, that villainy was a bit too strong of a word. She didn't consider herself evil. She didn't want to rule the world. She didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, physically at least.

But she did enjoy having fun at other people's expenses. She enjoyed the thrill of stealing something valuable and important. And like she had told Kim weeks earlier, being the cause of the downfall of the world-renowned hero was nothing short of a turn on. She knew that she would have plenty of opportunities to do that if she decided to live with Senior.

As of right now she really didn't have anything better to do. She would be graduating from high school in only a few weeks. She may not have been obscenely wealthy anymore, but thanks to her paychecks from Dr. Drakken she was well off. Not set for life by any means, but then again she had a billionaire grandfather. She could no longer rely on her own immediate family. They had disowned her. They had cut her out of the family will. Senior on the other hand had not. Senior's decision to abandon her had been passive. Her parent's decision had been intentional.

She wondered if that was it. She wondered if that was her decision. But without him as a target of her vengeance, who else was there? She no longer even cared about her parents one way or another. It was something she didn't completely understand herself. How could she hate Senior so much, and yet feel nothing for them? She figured that she had learned to turn off her emotions for her parents at a young age as a defense mechanism. Now they were just strangers to her. She wondered what Senior would think about that. Her mother was his daughter after all.

The sight of a nurse in the doorway snapped her from her thoughts. She looked up at the middle-aged woman.

"Ms. Leon? You have a visitor."

A soft sigh slipped through her lips.

"_Great. It must be him again," she thought in frustration._

For the second time she was surprised by who she saw enter the room.

"Camille," Kim said.

"I'll just let you two girls talk," the nurse said as she left the room.

"What do you want?" Camille asked bitterly.

"I'm here to get a confession from you."

"A confession? About what?"

Kim narrowed her eyes at the bedridden girl.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You know all the things you've done to people in the past month. I'm here so I can clear their names and make you pay for everything you've done."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kim," she smirked. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should be in bed too."

Kim took an aggravated step towards her. She didn't know why. She knew that she couldn't intimidate her here. It just came naturally in her frustration.

"I want you to admit to all of the crimes you've committed since you got here," she explained. "The Tiffany Yellow Diamond, Brick's locker, Mr. Barkin's car, and whatever else you might have done."

"Seriously Kim, what on earth are you talking about? I've never been convicted of any of those crimes. Never even been suspected. The police know that it was Senor Senior Jr. who stole the diamond. They have witnesses. And the school security cameras already caught the people responsible for the other stuff. I think all of this mission stuff is starting to make you a bit crazy."

Kim let out a cynical laugh.

"Yeah, like you have any right to talk about other people being crazy."

Kim felt a stinging barb of guilt as soon as she had finished saying that. It had felt good for only the moment she had said it. But immediately afterward she had regretted using someone's personal problem against them. It wasn't her. She wasn't a mean person. To do such a thing was not the way a hero acted.

"I'm sorry Camille. I shouldn't have said that."

Camille wasn't angry. She just laughed as a mischievous grin graced her delicate features.

"Now you're starting to understand the game."

"What game?"

"This little dance we've been doing for a month now. Well actually I've been doing it with everyone. You've only had to deal with one person. But you're a beginner. I'll cut you some slack."

"This isn't a game. Real people's lives have been affected by you and your gimmick. You have to tell the truth and get Brick off the hook. He got arrested and suspended for what you did."

"Silly Kim. It's always been a game. Don't start crying because it turns out you can't do anything. Just admit that I've won, and get over it."

"Camille! You have to tell the truth."

"And as for Brick, well, he got what was coming to him," she continued. "He's a jerk. He cheated on Bonnie-"

"With you!" Kim interrupted.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I heard it was with some other brunette at Bonnie's party."

"Yeah, the one you were conveniently at right before Bonnie dumped him, and thus had a reason to vandalize his locker. All so you could be a starter on the cheer squad."

"That's a pretty smart plan, Kim. I don't think I'd ever be able to pull something like that off. Even if I could somehow make myself brunette. And look like Bonnie."

Kim shook her head in disbelief. She wasn't admitting to anything.

"How can you be so cruel? How can you just go around ruining people's lives like this?"

"How can Bonnie and Brick ruin Ron's life like they did? Those two got what they deserved. Karma's a bitch, Kim. Just like me. But I guess you already know that."

"You told me you didn't care about Ron."

"Yeah? Well I'm a liar. You should know that by now too."

"So you seriously expect me to believe you hurt Bonnie and Brick because of what they did to Ron?"

"I didn't hurt anyone," Camille clarified.

Kim sighed. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to get anywhere if she kept accusing Camille of crimes, even if she knew that the girl was guilty of them. For all legal intents and purposes she was innocent. She would just have to get an answer out of her another way.

"Fine…" she grumbled. "Do you expect me to believe that you genuinely cared about Ron?"

"Is that really so hard to believe?" she asked. "Who cares if I'm a bitch? Does that mean I can't care about anyone? Does it mean I don't deserve to have anyone care about me? He's the only real friend I ever had. He's the only person who ever liked me for me. Not my money."

Kim wondered if she was joking. But the tone of her voice made it clear that she was serious. She realized that in Camille's twisted, selfish mind that her logic made sense.

"I don't believe you for a second. But that's not why I'm here. Are you sure you don't have anything to confess?"

The blonde shrugged indifferently.

"Nope. I didn't do anything wrong. What do I have to confess?"

"This isn't over. I will bring you to justice for all that you've done."

"Sure Kim. Whatever you say."

"Don't think I'm joking," she warned her. "I will find a way to prove that you did all of those things."

"Bored now," Camille yawned as she grabbed the pager beside her bed. A few seconds later a nurse entered the room. "Hey, can you get her out of my room?" she asked. "She's really starting to bother me."

"Of course, dear," the nurse said as she stepped beside Kim. "Come along now. Ms. Leon should be getting some rest. It's especially important for patients who suffered head trauma."

Camille smiled when she saw Kim glaring at her. Being forced to leave the room was not the way the teen hero had wanted this to end. But there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

She laid her head back against the pillow. The nurse wasn't lying about her needing rest. A dull throbbing pain had invaded her head over the past couple of minutes. She laid there with her eyes closed for several minutes before she heard another person enter the room.

"Hello Camille," the familiar redheaded doctor said.

Of all the doctors in all the hospitals in all the world, she was stuck with this one.

"Hello Dr. Possible," she said courteously.

"I've spoken with several people about your condition, as well as the circumstances that brought it about. They have recommended, and I agreed, that you be moved to the psychiatric ward of the hospital for the time being."

Cold chills like daggers made of ice shot through Camille's body. That was not something she had ever expected, or wanted to hear.

"What?" she gasped. "But I mean- what- why?"

"We looked over everything and decided that because of the self-inflicted head trauma that resulted in your concussion that you were a danger to yourself."

Camille shook her head bitterly as she glared hatefully into the blue eyes of her doctor.

"I bet you're loving this, aren't you? You're loving what I'm going through after everything your precious little daughter said I did to her."

"No, Camille," Anne frowned. "I never enjoy seeing a patient in pain. While what you did to my daughter, Ron, and so many others is unforgivable in my eyes as a parent, I realize as a doctor that you're very sick. And it's my duty to see that you get the help that you need. I've spoken with several psychiatrists about the incident that took place in my home. They all agree that you should be moved to the psychiatric ward for your own safety."

"That's not fair!"

"Are you going to go willingly? Or do I have to get a court order for a full psychiatric evaluation? And I'm sure with what happened Tuesday morning that they will read you like a book."

Camille closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. She knew that Anne was right. A board of psychiatric professionals would be able to dissect her issues piece by piece. They would find out soon enough just how messed up she was. And if it were done like that there would be a much greater risk of people finding out just what she had done in the past. She would go willingly.

"Fine. I'll go."

"Good. After I check on how your concussion is doing I'll get everything set up to move you to that area of the hospital."

Anne turned and walked out of the room. Camille set her head back down on the pillow. This was certainly going to interfere with her plans for the immediate future.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the weeks following Ron's return to sanity things had slowly started to get back to normal. Kim had gone to Mr. Barkin and explained the situation to him. She was furious that she had not gotten Camille to admit to what she had done. But she still had to set the record straight. She had to clear Brick's name. She had told Mr. Barkin that one of her super villain foes had found a way to create almost exact copies of people, and had made them do terrible things. She explained how it was all done to get to her, and that Bonnie and Brick were innocent of the crimes they had been accused of. It was the truth, just not the whole truth. Kim felt sick when she thought of how she had used one of Camille's favorite tactics to her advantage.

Mr. Barkin was hard, but fair. He knew Kim's reputation. He also knew that she shared no love for Bonnie. For her to stick up for her most hated rival brought a bit more credibility to an otherwise absurd situation. But he remembered the two incidents at Camp Wannaweep. He remembered how super villains liked to make things personal, like what Gill had done to Ron. What Kim was saying wasn't completely impossible. And seeing how the explanation was coming from such an upstanding citizen as Kim, he decided that he could trust her.

The last class of the day had just ended, and the students were now emptying from the room. Kim saw Ron stand from his desk and went to walk with him.

"Hey Ron, what are we doing today?" she asked cheerfully.

She was thankful that he was starting to get back to his normal self. In the first few days he had been changed back he was very reserved. He hadn't been his lovable, outgoing, goofy self. But he was once again beginning to open up. Things were finally beginning to get back to how they were before all of the Camille ugliness began.

"Sorry KP," he frowned. "But I have a doctor's appointment right after school. But we totally need to hang out later tonight. It's Friday after all. And there's a new movie out about guys who duel with swords on motorcycles!"

"That sounds… um, thrilling…" she said as she struggled to keep a straight face about the movie. "But you've been having a lot of doctor's appointments lately. Are you doing okay? Does this have something to do with the side effects of the attitudinator?"

He let out a sigh as they walked down the hall together.

"Yeah. Sort of."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Someday," he said. "I remember the thing about no secrets. And it's not that I like keeping this from you. It's just, well, I'm not really comfortable talking about it yet. Do you think that you can wait until I'm ready?"

She gave him a reassuring smile as they neared his locker.

"Of course I can. I wouldn't ever want to do something to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Thanks, Kim."

She watched him walk off after he had gathered his belongings from his locker. Her inquisitive side wanted to follow him and find out what he was doing. But their renewed friendship had to be built on trust and honesty. She could never betray his confidence by spying on him. He would tell her when he was ready. And that was good enough for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"…and I think that that, along with Camp Wannaweep, is why I hate monkeys so much."

Ron was sitting in a rather comfortable chair. The room around him was small and cozy, but not confining. He never would have thought he would be in a place like this. He had always been so happy and outgoing. Even in the darkest times of his life he somehow always found a spark of light. But in the past couple of months darkness had threatened to overtake him. It wasn't just the darkness of being evil and the attitudinator. It was him falling into a deep depression.

Ron's therapist nodded. He wasn't sure if it was in understanding or agreement. But the man spoke before Ron could ask.

"While I know that your monkey phobia has impacted some areas of your life severely, I was wondering if we could get back to the causes of your recent depression. You said the monkey phobia never made you feel how you have been recently, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Ron agreed. "Monkeys don't have much to do with what's going on now. Well except the whole Tempus Simia part of it."

"Yes, but the Tempus Simia did not have any direct effect on your current condition," the therapist explained. "While it is true that this super villain's quest for the object started a domino effect, as they would say, your phobia did not contribute to your current depression."

"I guess. So what do you want to know about her?"

"Well, I guess anything more that you have to say about what you're feeling, why you're feeling it, and so forth."

"Well… like I said before, I've never had a girlfriend before. Girls just weren't interested in me. And then suddenly, this beautiful cheerleader decides that I'm good enough for her. And I bought into it."

"And you don't feel that you were worthy of the attentions of a beautiful girl?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I dunno…" he shrugged. "I guess because I've been called a loser the whole time I've been in high school. When Jill said she was interested in me I thought it was a dream come true. And it turns out that it was only a dream after all."

"Because she was using you," the therapist recalled.

"Yeah. She manipulated me and used me to get to me best friend. And I know I should hate her for everything she did. But I can't get her out of my head. I guess maybe it's because she was my first."

"Yes, people do tend to have a hard time letting go of their first serious relationship."

"Not just relationship," Ron said sadly. "She was my first time too."

"Oh. Well that certainly puts your feelings into much greater perspective. It's perfectly understandable for anyone, no matter what age or gender they are, to feel a sort of special bond to the person they lose their virginity to."

"Yeah… it's weird. I hate feeling this way. But like I said, I just can't stop thinking about her. Especially after learning more about her after we broke up."

"What did you learn?"

"Well, um, she kind of has problems. Mental problems I guess. I don't know exactly what it is, but I guess she like, hears voices in her head or something. I didn't see it personally, but my best friend did. And she wouldn't lie about something like that. Like right now Jill is in the hospital because of it."

"Do you think this too could be a reason you can't stop thinking about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're Ron Stoppable. You're Kim Possible's partner."

Ron smirked a bit at the mention of him being Kim's partner. For so long he had been a sidekick. For so long people had no idea who he was. He was glad that his therapist did. It made him feel good. He supposed that was part of the man's job.

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well you said that this girl, your first girlfriend, your first sexual experience, has some kind of psychological disorder. And you've said that you have a hard time not thinking about her. Do you think that because of her issues, because of your close relationship with her, that you feel like you need to save her?"

"Save her?"

"You and Kim are heroes. You go around saving people, sometimes saving the world. And from everything you've told me in our past sessions, I know that you're a very kind and caring person. Do you think that maybe, subconsciously, you see Jill as another person in need of saving? Do you think that maybe you want to be a hero and help her like you've helped so many others?"

His choice of words brought back chilling memories of when he and Camille had dated. Not chilling because they were bad, but because they had affected him so much. She had called him her hero on multiple occasions. She had made a point to tell him that he had saved her when he had done so. Could it all be connected?

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I definitely think it's something worth looking into in our next session," he said as he glanced up at the clock. "But I'm afraid we're out of time for this week."

"Oh. Okay," Ron said as he stood up. "That was actually pretty eye-opening. I never thought about it like that. What do you think I should do until we see each other next week?"

"I think one thing you are searching for is closure. You feel hurt and betrayed by the first girl who you ever had real feelings for. Maybe you can confront her and ask why she did the things that she did to you. And maybe speaking with her can help you find out if you do have a desire to save her."

"Maybe. But what do you think I'm trying to save her from?"

"We'll get more into that next time. But for now all I can really say is that maybe you want to save her from herself. Saving a person doesn't mean that it has to be from a giant laser or… spinning disk."

"Spinning top of doom," Ron corrected him.

"Yes, that. Maybe speaking with Jill will help you find out what you need to know."

"Yeah. Thanks, man. I'll see you next week."

"Goodbye Ron. Take care."

Ron stepped out of the therapist's office and breathed a heavy sigh. Maybe the man was right. Maybe he did need to confront Camille. Sitting around thinking about her all the time was certainly doing no good. He decided he would try to do so tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXX

She never realized how boring doing nothing could be. Most people would have wanted to stop working, stop going to school, and just do nothing all day. But it just got so incredibly boring after a while. Especially in a place like this.

Camille had almost no freedom in this place. She was currently living in the psychiatric ward of Middleton Hospital. They regulated almost everything in her life. When she slept, when she woke, when she ate, when she got to participate in their "activities". They were so mind-numbingly dull. She didn't want to paint things or do arts and crafts. She wanted to shop, she wanted to go clubbing. But as long as she was confined to this place she couldn't do anything she wanted.

She was sitting at one of the tables in the activity room with her art supplies. Most of the other patients at least tried to get something out of the experience. She on the other hand only made things when the staff sweetly pressured her to do so. The latest of such incidents had taken place only moments earlier. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she began gluing popsicle sticks together. But thankfully her attention was taken off of it when she heard one of the staff members call her name.

"Camille? You have a visitor."

She hadn't had a visitor in several days. In the past several weeks she had only had one, Senor Senior Sr. Kim had not returned since she had tried to get a confession out of her. Normally Camille would have groaned at the thought of having to talk to her grandfather. But she had been all but cut off from the outside world for nearly a month. Speaking with him would be a rare treat.

She looked up from her work to see who was coming. For the third straight time she was shocked by who she saw.

"Ron?" she asked confusedly.

He didn't respond immediately. Instead he uneasily took a seat across the table from her.

"Why is your hair coming in black?" he asked.

"Because that's my natural color. And this stupid hospital doesn't let me dye it."

"Oh."

"What are you doing here?"

He breathed a heavy sigh before responding.

"Honestly? I don't really know myself," he said. "I guess we need to have a talk. A real talk. No fake you, no evil me. Just pure honesty. Do you think you can do that?"

He didn't sound angry. Camille considered that a good sign. But what wasn't good was how utterly depressed his voice was. That wasn't the Ron she had fake-dated.

"Yeah. I can be honest. I've always been honest with you."

"You seriously can't expect me to believe that."

"Everything I've ever told you was true," she smiled. "The thing is it just wasn't always the whole truth."

"Which is just as bad as lying."

"I guess you could look at it like that. But I don't."

"Yeah, well, I'm not here to argue about what the meaning of truth is. I'll save that for a philosophy class. Not that I ever plan on taking one."

"Okay. What did you want to talk about then?"

"Well… um… first, I guess I just want to know how you're doing. Kim told me some stuff about what happened the morning you two used the attitudinator to change me back to normal. Are you okay with telling me how you're feeling?"

"I'm great!" she said with false enthusiasm. "I'm doing drugs now."

A nearby nurse stopped writing on her chart and looked up at the blonde.

"No dear, you're not doing drugs. You're taking medication. There's a very big difference."

Camille chuckled at the seriousness of the woman. Apparently she didn't share the same sense of humor.

"Anyway…" she continued. "Apparently I'm pretty screwed up. I have dissociative identity disorder."

"What's that?"

"Um, I guess it's the fancy way of saying multiple personality disorder. My therapist also says I have problems with abandonment issues, paranoia, and parental and authority figures. Yay me."

Ron frowned at the sarcasm in her voice. Apparently she was a lot worse off than him in terms of suffering the consequences of the whole ordeal that began two months ago. And he knew that she must have been suffering from these issues long before she arrived in Middleton.

"Oh. Is the medication helping at all?"

"I guess. At least I'm not hearing-"

She stopped before admitting something personal about herself to Ron.

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "Kim told me about what happened at her house."

"Figures," she grunted. "Well in that case I'm not hearing voices in my head anymore. So I guess the drugs are working."

"That's good. I'm really glad to hear that."

She felt uncomfortable at his kindness. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised by it. Ron was the nicest person she had ever met. But she figured that he would hate her for everything that she had done to him and Kim. If he did he wasn't showing it. His poker face was at least as good as hers.

"So did you really come all the way down here to see how I was doing?"

"That was one reason I guess. The other, well, my therapist said I should try to get some closure about why you did what you did to me. I can't stop thinking about you, and he thinks that getting an answer will help me."

"You're seeing a therapist too?"

"Yeah…" he said uncomfortably. "You don't spend four or five days as a psychotic super villain without it seriously messing with your thoughts and emotions. I'm… well, I'm really depressed about everything that happened. I'm depressed about everything you did to me."

"You weren't the one I wanted to hurt," she said truthfully.

"Well congratulations, you did," he said bitterly. "You did all this to get to Kim, to break us up. And you did. But you did a lot more than that. You took something from me I can never get back. And you almost ruined my friendship with Kim, one we've had for twelve years."

Camille looked down at the table trying to think of how she could possible respond to that. She knew what she had taken from him.

"I… I don't know what to say. I mean, at first when we were dating, when it was all still a job, I didn't care about you. But then I got to know the real you. I learned how nice you were. About halfway through it all I really started to feel bad about having to mess with such a nice guy."

"And you didn't even consider stopping?"

"No. What do you want me to say? That I'm evil? That I'm some super villain like Drakken or Shego? If you came down here to tell me how horrible I am, I don't need this. Just get up and leave."

She sat there staring at him for a few moments and realized that he was not going to leave. So she decided to do it herself. As she was about to stand up a hand reached out and grabbed her own. She looked and saw that he wanted her to sit back down. She reluctantly did so.

"I don't want either of us to leave," he said. "I guess I just want to understand why you did what you did."

"Look, I don't know why. Okay? I have a hard enough time figuring out who I am as a person most of the time."

"Yeah," he agreed. "You were so nice and sweet when you acted like Jill. And you were loving and caring when we were dating. And then you were a complete… um… horrible and manipulative person when it came to Kim. Which one is the real you?"

She smiled as she thought about his question. When Drakken had asked what she was she told him that she was simply a bitch. But the truth of it was a lot more complex than that.

"I'm a little bit of everything all rolled into one," she shrugged. "I'm a bitch and a lover."

Ron frowned as he nodded. It wasn't exactly the answer he had expected. But it at least seemed truthful. She would have had to have been an Academy Award quality actress if her performances as Jill and his girlfriend were just acts. He recalled his conversation with her in the library after he had found out the truth about who and what she really was.

"Do you remember what I asked you in the library? And what I asked you in your car the night after Bonnie's party?"

"You'll have to be a little more specific than that."

"I asked you to tell me something about you that was real. Both times you said that nothing in your life was real. And I guess I've found that to be true. So I'm asking you for a third time. Tell me something about you that's real."

Camille exhaled loudly as she thought about what she was going to say. She had a lot of things to choose from. She had learned a lot about herself in the past several weeks. But when it came to Ron, she knew that one thing stood out above all else.

"You want to know something real?" she asked. "You were my first real friend. You liked me not because of my money, not because of my fame, but for who I was. You did see the real me, but it was only one side of me. I truly valued your friendship and enjoyed spending time with you once I got to know you. And it really sucked that I had to do what I did in order to get to Kim and earn a paycheck. But I want you to know that I didn't like hurting you. I regret doing everything I did to make you suffer."

He was shocked by the truthfulness of her confession. He had never imagined that she actually did care about him. He had figured that she felt bad because of her part in almost causing him to die. But he didn't actually think she cared for him on a deeper level than that.

"And you're sure that's the truth? It's not just part of the truth?"

"It's the whole truth. I like you, Ron. I liked how it felt to be with you. You were the only person in my life who ever truly cared about me."

Ron was hit hard with another shot of honesty. He didn't quite know how to respond to it.

"Oh…" was all he could muster.

"And seeing you being crazy reminded me of myself," she said softly. "I didn't like seeing you suffering like that, like me. I didn't like to see what a crazy person looked like from an outsider's perspective. I felt sorry for you. I pitied myself."

Ron was chewing on his lip as he heard the outpour of sincerity and honesty. She didn't know how alike they were in what she was saying.

"I know how you feel," he agreed. "After being crazy like I was, I can't help but feel sorry for what you're going through. And you've had to deal with this for a lot longer than me. My therapist must be right. That must be why I want…"

He broke eye contact with her as he stopped short of expressing his thoughts.

"What?" she wondered.

"It must be why I want to save you. You said that I was your hero back when we were dating. I want to be your hero again. I want to help you get better."

She was left speechless by what he had said. He still cared for her. Somehow, someway, he still wanted something to do with her. He hadn't cast her aside like her parents. He hadn't ignored her like Senior did years ago. He wanted to help her.

"Wow. It feels good to get all that stuff off my chest," he sighed with relief.

"You really mean it?" she wondered.

"I do. I want you to get better. Because if there's even a small part of the girl I dated or Jill inside you, then that's worth saving."

She couldn't help but smile. He was providing her with everything she had ever wanted. He was being a friend who genuinely cared for her. And he expected nothing in return.

"You still owe me a trip to the prom," she told him.

"What?"

"Back when we were dating," she reminded him. "After the movie. I've never been to a prom because of the home schooling. You said you would take me this year since it's the last chance I'll have."

He remembered now. He had completely forgotten. A lot had happened since that night.

"I remember," he said. "But don't you think it will be kind of hard with everything going on here?" he said as he looked around the large hospital room.

"I've been getting better," she smiled. "I think I can arrange one out patient night as long as I have supervision. The system goes way easy on celebrities who are in rehab. And I think a famous, heroic gentlemen like you would be more than qualified to supervise me."

"Oh. Well if you really want to go, if you think it would help with your… condition, then yeah. I said I would take you. So we can go. It's next week."

"I'll be ready," she said happily.

"I'm curious though. Are you going to be able to graduate this year since you've spent like a month in here?"

"Yeah. They set it up so I can do my homework and take my tests here so I could still graduate on time. In a week I'll graduate with the rest of the class."

"That's good. It would have sucked to have to repeat your senior year."

"I guess. But it wouldn't have been all bad," she smirked suggestively.

"I, um, yeah. I guess maybe not."

She laughed at how uncomfortable she had made him with a single look.

"You're still so easy. You're worse than that awkwardly charming British guy from that one movie we didn't see."

He couldn't hide the embarrassed smile from creeping across his face. But after a few seconds it vanished as he heard the authoritative voice of one of the hospital staff.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid that visiting hours are now over," the woman said.

"Oh, right," he said as he stood from his chair.

He stood there for a moment looking at Camille.

"So you'll get the whole prom thing arranged, right?" he asked.

"Count on it."

"Alright. See you then."

"Bye."

He turned and walked out of the room leaving Camille alone at her table. She smiled as she looked back down at her awful attempt at art.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow…" she said softly to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

The big night had finally arrived. Students were already packed into the gymnasium. The darkened room was lit only by magnificent colored lights that danced around the room like the teenagers who were moving across the dance floor. Elaborate decorations covered the walls and ceiling to add to the special feeling of the night. The prom committee had outdone themselves this time. It was a shame that people rarely appreciated the hard work they put into making the night so remarkable.

Kim was one of the students on that committee. She knew that her part in the work would go unnoticed. But it honestly wasn't important. What was important was that she had far greater things to be thankful for. Life was finally back to normal. The crisis of epically dramatic proportions had been resolved.

She looked around the room for Ron. She still hadn't seen him. The night was still very young though, and the event had only just gotten underway. Still though, she had been a bit surprised when he had said he had a date. She couldn't begin to think of who it could be. Normally the two of them went together as just friends. But since he had a date she had decided that she needed one too. She had picked a most unusual date. And it had only gotten stranger since he had arrived.

She saw Junior chatting with another man off in the distance. She found it odd that her "date" was spending more time with the man than with her. She shrugged it off. It wasn't as if she was interested in Junior like that anyway. At least having a date was enough to keep Bonnie off her back. Either way, things were made much easier considering that Bonnie didn't have a date herself.

Junior and the other man approached her with smiles on their faces.

"Kim, I would like you to meet Midas," Junior said happily.

She shook the large blonde man's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "I'm sorry, but we've never met. Are you related to Junior or something?"

"No no," Junior laughed. "Midas is my date to this spectacular party."

Kim's jaw dropped when she heard the word date.

"Wait, what?"

"And I have you to thank for that, Kim," he continued. "You were the one who told me not to rely on that silly Animology book to find my true love. You told me to follow my heart, to follow my instincts. You said that I should go out and meet people. And I did. Thanks to you I am no longer ashamed of how I feel inside."

"I… um… really?" she stuttered.

"Yes. And let me tell you, Midas truly does have the 'golden touch'," he said with a sly grin.

The level of awkweirdness was threatening to go critical. But she supposed she should be happy for Junior. He had found something, someone, to make him happy. And that was good. She wasn't about to judge him or anyone else for who they were.

"I'm really happy for you," she smiled. "And if you said I helped, then I'm glad I could help."

"You did, Kim. Now if you would excuse us, I believe it is time for Midas and me to show these people how the professionals dance."

Kim watched Junior and Midas walk to the dance floor and begin showing off their moves. She laughed happily as she saw how much fun he was having. She couldn't believe she had never seen it before. Junior was a walking stereotype. The pants, the hair gel, the tan, the physique, the O-Boys obsession, the desire to be a pop star…

She shook her head with a grin as she made her way to where Monique was standing. Her friend had the same look on her own face. Apparently she had overheard everything.

"So I guess you have yourself a new GBF," Monique smirked.

"A what?"

"Gay best friend. You said he wasn't into that whole super villain thing anymore, right?"

"Yeah. I guess you're right," she chuckled. "I've never had one of those before.

"You're going to love it. It's a guy you can go shopping with and he won't complain. And you can get manicures together and talk about all kinds of things you couldn't with a straight guy."

"I guess that sounds, um, fun."

"Trust me. It is."

The two girls continued speaking until they saw Ron walk through the doors. Their smiles immediately disappeared when they saw who was with him.

Camille had an arm around one of his own as they stepped into the gymnasium. Her bright red dress was a natural attention grabber. The cut and fit of it made sure that any eyes that were drawn to her stayed there for more than just a moment. Her entire look just seemed to scream, "look at me".

Kim stomped over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from Camille. After walking with him a few steps she turned and looked at him angrily.

"What is she doing here?" she whispered harshly.

"It's a long story, Kim. It really is. I know you must be mad-"

"Mad? Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel!"

"It's not what you think. I'm not evil again. And neither is she."

"I don't care what she is. I don't want that harpy anywhere near me tonight."

"I know that you think she's bad and stuff, but it's not what you think. She needs help, and I want to help her."

Kim's fists clenched and unclenched unconsciously as her eyes looked back and forth between him and Camille. Finally the settled on Ron.

"What is it about this girl that makes you always want to come to her rescue?" she asked. "Why do you keep defending her? You've been doing it since the day you met her. And even now after everything that's happened you're still doing it."

He sighed as he looked down at the floor. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before looking back up at Kim.

"Because I want to be a hero," he explained.

"What?"

"It's something my therapist told me. You and me, we're heroes. It's who we are. Camille is just another person who needs help. And I want to help her. You taught me how to be a hero, Kim."

She wanted to continue being angry. But hearing Ron describe what he wanted, what she had taught him, was threatening to calm her anger. She desperately didn't want that to happen. She wanted to hate Camille. But she felt immensely proud of Ron for what he had said. And she felt a great deal of pride herself that she had helped influence him to be such a good and forgiving person.

"You can't be serious! Even after everything she's done to us?"

"Would you pass up a chance to rehabilitate Shego if you had the chance? Or would you let her continue to suffer because you and her have fought so much in the past."

Another blow to her anger. Kim knew deep in her heart that she would help Shego if the woman asked for it. But it didn't make this situation any easier to deal with.

"Ron… I…" she struggled to say. "I'm proud of you. I really am. But that still doesn't change how I feel about her," she said as she looked over his shoulder at Camille. "And what did you say about a therapist?"

"We'll talk about that later tonight, KP," he smiled. "But for now I owe Camille a dance. This is her first prom. I can't disappoint her."

A mixture of emotions were battling inside of Kim as she saw her best friend and her most hated enemy on the dance floor together. She thought again about what he had said. She taught him to be a hero. She taught him to help others even if they had wronged him. She knew that he was doing a good thing by trying to help Camille. But it didn't mean that she had to like it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bonnie watched Kim and Ron talking from a distance. She didn't know what they were talking about, or why Camille was there with him. But she could feel her anger rising inside her. To her surprise it dropped a bit when she noticed that Brick had come to stand beside her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied casually.

"Um… about what happened at your party."

"Don't talk about that."

"Oh. Um… can you forgive me?"

The brunette sighed as she turned to look at him.

"Whatever. Wanna make out?"

"Sure."

Bonnie would never have been able to live down the fact that she had not had a date to the prom. The always dramatic on-again off-again relationship of Bonnie and Brick was back on. The gossip queens would have plenty of new material before the night was over.

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It was midnight as Ron and Camille walked exited the doors of the gymnasium. The prom was still going on, but the two of them felt as if they needed some fresh air. It had been a wonderful night that neither of them could complain about. Other than the little bit of ugliness that Kim and Ron had had, there had been no incidents.

The two of them stood facing each other in the dim street lights. The moon was bright overhead. Had the ugly artificial orangeish lights not been there to corrupt the natural lunar illumination, one could have easily considered their situation romantic.

"Thank you for my first and only prom," Camille smiled genuinely.

"I'm glad I could be the one to do it. I'm glad I could help you. Does this mean it's time for you to go back to the hospital?"

She laughed a bit when he asked that.

"Nah. They released me," she said nonchalantly. "I'm still taking medication and seeing a therapist though. Like I said, judges and doctors go way easy on celebrities with this kind of stuff. Just look at Britina and the Holsen twins. They go in and out of rehab every six months with no problems."

"Oh… right."

"Yeah, so I'm back living at my house now."

"In a few days you're going to graduate. What are your plans for the summer?"

"I plan on seeing my grandpa. He said he's interested in getting me involved in the family business."

"Really? What does he do? Where does he live?"

She smiled at the answers to those questions.

"Right now he's sort of… in the process of moving to a new home. And as for what he does, well, he's retired. But he has a very active lifestyle."

"Oh. Sounds fun I guess."

"And I'm thinking about spending some time in Milan. Going to steal some of the latest fashion designs, maybe start up my own line."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "Why would you tell me something like that? You know if you go through with this that Kim and me are going to have to come and stop you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she smirked.

"You mean you want us to stop you?"

"Haven't you learned anything by now? This whole hero and villain thing is just a game to me. It's always been a game. I don't want to rule the world or anything dumb like that. I just want to have some fun."

"Well then it's a complicated and stupid game."

"And that's the best kind," she agreed. "I look forward to seeing you there. I'll have to make some dinner reservations for the night I get those designs. I know this great little Italian place," she said as she stopped to think. "Well I guess there they just call it a place. But the point is it has great Italian food."

"Kim won't let you get away with this. She still hates you."

"I know. But the important thing is that you don't."

Ron sighed because he knew it was true. Every logical part of his brain told him that he should hate her. But he didn't. He didn't know if it was out of pity, understanding, or real affection. Whether he liked it or not he did still feel something for her. He shared a bond with her that he could never have with any other woman. She was his first. He had had genuine feelings for her when they had dated. And he had learned that she had developed genuine feelings for him as well. And knowing that some of that relationship had been real made him want to pursue it again. There were a lot of reasons for him wanting to do so. Perhaps the strangest of all was something she had told him almost two months ago. She could be the Sheela to his Fearless Ferret.

"She won't give up until she catches you in the act," he told her.

A soft giggle escaped from her lips at the thought of Kim actually catching her.

Camille kissed the tips of her index and middle fingers and gently placed them on Ron's lips.

"Catch me if you can."

She gave him a wink before she turned and walked off to her red Porsche.

Ron stood there smiling as he saw her leaving. He wasn't sure when they would meet again, whether it would be in Milan or before that. But he knew one thing was certain. She wanted to be caught. Not by Kim, but only him. And he suspected that she wasn't about to make it an easy task.

XXXXXXXXXX

"_In the game of seduction, there is only one rule: Never fall in love."_

_~Cruel Intentions_

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Authors Note: There you have it. I know that some people will be disappointed at how it ended. In my conversations with the readers I noticed that there was sort of a "Team Edward vs. Team Jacob" thing going on. In the end I realized that Ron and Camille couldn't have what people would call a normal romance. But Camille described what they have perfectly all the way back in chapter 13 (and repeated here). She's the Sheela to his Fearless Ferret. They have a very Batman/Catwoman type relationship. I know it isn't what some people wanted, but it's what I enjoyed writing.

Camille in the TV show is such a bland and boring character. She had no place being the star of any story based on how she was portrayed on TV. I set out to make her a character who people cared about, whether you liked her or hated her. I wanted her to be able to play with the big boys (and girls) of the KPverse. I hope I've accomplished that goal.

A big thank you goes out to all the readers and reviewers. Thank you Brandon for beta reading the chapters that you did. And thank you GreenWriterM for being the one to inspire me to take a minor character and make something more of her.


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